Is the Trinity Biblical?

Thinking Christians have pondered and debated over serious questions regarding
the nature of God and His son since the early first century. Is the Father alone God? Or is Jesus also God? Are Jesus and the Father one in essence, and therefore one God but two persons? And if Jesus is God, can he also be man? And how does the Holy Spirit fit into this question about Deity and Godhood?

The doctrine of the Trinity purports to answer these questions, along with the doctrine of the two natures of Christ. Orthodox Christianity points to the Council of Nicea in 325 AD as the defining moment for the Trinity. But in reality the Nicene Creed only recognized the Father and the Son as being of the same essence. It actually  affirmed only the Deity of Christ, not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given only passing recognition at the end of the creed with the sentence "And we believe in the Holy Spirit."

THE COUNCILS and CREEDS 

The fact is, there were many such Church Councils after Nicea, but it was not until the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD, 56 years later, that the Holy Spirit was recognized as full Deity in the Creed of Constantinople. "The Council of Constantinople eliminated the anathemas from the Nicene Creed and added a statement affirming the deity of the Holy Spirit as well as the one holy catholic church, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the dead." -- Frank M. Hasel, “Creeds and Confessions,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016)

Further, it was in the Athanasian Creed of 451 AD that the Church finally agreed, in writing, on the dual nature of Christ as both fully God and fully man. Church Creeds were formulated to provide a consistent confession for all believers to agree on and follow. But sadly, they have always had the opposite effect, being a point of division and contention due to disagreements over language. And today, centuries later, we still debate and argue over the same issues.

THE DEBATES

Have you listened to the debate between Dr. Dale Tuggy and Dr. Michael Brown, held on January 11th, 2019? If not, you can see and hear the full debate HERE.
As debates go, I thought this one was very good, and I believe Dr. Tuggy to be the winner. Although he admittedly was unable to address every Scripture Dr. Brown referenced that night, he has made a great effort to follow up. You can hear his follow up arguments to the debate on his podcast called "Trinities", HERE. Also, some excellent points in refutation of Dr. Brown's Trinitarian arguments are made in three parts by Sean Finnegan and Jerry Wierwille on Sean's podcast called "Restitutio", HERE.

I have recently been made aware of yet another debate which took place on 7/2/18. This one between a life long Unitarian and a former Unitarian turned Trinitarian. Debates can be lengthy, and a little boring (depending on the presenters), but if you like debates I think you'll enjoy this one.

The video below is the full debate without moderator questions or comments, (debaters only) and lasts approximately 1 1/2 hrs. If you don't care about watching the video, you can hear an audio only version at Dr. Tuggy's Trinities YouTube Channel HERE. The audio version has been edited even further (less than 1 hour).

In the end, every serious minded Christian must make up his/her own mind about this vital issue, and the final authority can only be what is written in the Bible, and not any man made creed. It's what the Bible actually says, not what we want it to say, or what any tradition dictates, that matters. Do you agree?

Enjoy! And let me know what you think.

I'd love to hear from you! To share you thoughts about this topic, please post a comment. All comments - both pro and con - are welcome, but please be respectful. Also, please check one of the reaction boxes below.

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Was Jesus With God Before the World Existed?

"And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” -- John 17:5 (ESV)

The above Scripture is often used as absolute proof that Jesus preexisted his earthly life as deity in heaven. The doctrine of the preexistence of Christ is fundamental to the all important doctrine of the Trinity held by most Christian denominations. In this verse it appears that Jesus is asking to be reinstated to his former glory which he had with the Father in heaven.

But this raises some serious questions. In the Trinity model, who is praying here? Is it the divine nature or the human nature? The man Jesus did not preexist so, it must be the divine Son of God. But why would God the Son, a supposed equal, pray to God the Father for the restoration of his glory? Hmm...

Clear Evidence

In a recent debate between Biblical Unitarian, Dr. Dale Tuggy, and Trinitarian, Dr. Michael Brown, the latter pointed to this verse as “clear evidence” of Jesus preexistence. (You can listen to that debate here: “Is the God of the Bible the Father Alone?”). The fact is, prior to 2009, I would have heartily agreed with Dr. Brown! Admittedly, before that time I never seriously questioned the logic of Christ’s preexistence, or the doctrine of the Trinity. Like most, I just accepted it as true based on what I was told, and on the Scriptures they pointed to for its support. 

This verse seems pretty clear-cut on its face, especially when paired with John 1:1, which says "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Combine these with various other New Testament verses such as John 8:58 and Col 1:15-16, and it’s a slam dunk, right? Armed with these bible verses, how could anyone reasonably argue against the preexistence of Christ? 

One thing I discovered after giving this matter serious thought over the past several years is there is a glaring omission of context when John 17:5 is cited to prove preexistence and deity. For example: John 17:3 reads:

"And this is eternal life, that they know you (Father), the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (emphasis mine)

This is part of Jesus’ prayer to “the Father”. It is The Father that Jesus himself calls “the only true God”. What this language conveys, both in Greek and English, is clear. There is only one who is God in the truest sense. It seems to me that this also is a “clear evidence” text. It is clear that if the Father is “the ONLY true God”, then Jesus Christ cannot also be true God. 

What I have found rather consistently among those who turn to John 17:5, to prove the preexistence and deity of Christ, is a failure to address John 17:3. Both of these “clear evidence” texts cannot be true at the same time. If the Father alone is God, then Jesus cannot have existed as an equal God with Him. This is not my opinion, it is self-evident from the text. What then does Jesus mean by “... glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world began.” Only a solution that does NOT contradict verse 3 can be sufficient!

Let me be clear that there are no textual problems with John 17:5. It says what is says. “Father glorify me in your own presence”; para seautōi. "Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament" translates this as “by the side of Thyself”. Further, “I had” means exactly that; IE. actually possessed. This is a clear reference to the ascension and exaltation of Christ. Jesus is asking for glory alongside the Father, as though it was something he previously possessed.

Harmonizing John 17:5 with John 17:3

So how can we reconcile this against John 17:3? What we have here is one verse that contradicts the deity of Christ (v3) and another that asserts the preexistence of Christ. But preexistence does not prove, or even suggest deity. In other words, one can soundly believe that Jesus preexisted (and John 17:5 demands it), and yet reject the deity of Christ, and therefore the Trinity, based on verse 3 (along with many others). 

Preexistence does not require a literal interpretation. For example: many couples plan their families in advance. They determine they will have "x" number of children, and no more. Further, they may plan an inheritance for their children, such as a place in the family business, a college education, etc. In some cultures they even pre-plan marriages well in advance. It could then be said that the children preexisted their literal, physical existence, in the mind of their parents.

Did Jesus exist in the mind of God before the world began? Yes, most certainly! This, I assert, is what John means by “the Word” in John 1:1. In the beginning God had a plan to reconcile the world to Himself. This plan required a man through whom He would reveal Himself, accomplish reconciliation, and then bestow great glory and honor as the king of His kingdom. Thus, the Word (the plan) became flesh in the person of Jesus, God's Christ. Note also, the following Scriptures:

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— 23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men." -- Acts 2:22-23;

"He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God." -- 1 Pet 1:20-21

Jesus was clearly in God's foreknowledge, in His plan, prior to creation.

Now you can see what Jesus means when he says “glorify me with the glory I had with you before the world began”. At the time of this narrative in John’s gospel, Jesus earthly ministry was coming to a close. He said: “I glorified You on earth, having accomplished the work you gave me to do.” (John 17:4) He was soon to be killed on a cross and become the lamb that takes away the sins of the world. In fact, some scholars have suggested that “glory” in John’s gospel is a reference, not just to exaltation, but to Jesus suffering and death. 

Death and Resurrection/Subsequent Exaltation

There can be no doubt that all of these events were in God’s plan for Jesus. He was simply praying that The Father’s plan would now be realized… “glorify me with the glory I had with you (you planned for me) before the world existed”. The glory that Jesus “had” with the Father was the glory that existed for him in God’s plan, from the beginning; the glory of suffering and death and subsequent resurrection and exaltation to the Father's own right hand!

This is not difficult to comprehend. To speak of something as having already happened before it actually takes place is not uncommon in the bible. It’s a way of speaking about the absolute certainty that God’s plan and promises will come to pass.

For example:

• Paul speaks of us Christians as already having been “raised with Christ” even though we won’t literally be raised until he appears (Col 3:1). 
• Paul also says He (God) “chose us in him before the foundation of the world”, although we weren’t literally there to be chosen (Eph 1:4). 
• In 2 Timothy 1:9 Paul writes that we received our salvation and holy calling by God’s grace in Christ “before the ages began” even though we did not yet exist. 
• Also, see Jer 1:5. Did Jeremiah literally exist in the presence of God before creation? Of course not.

Conclusion

Did Jesus exist with the Father and have glory with Him before the world began? And did God know and love Jesus before the foundation of the world? (John 17:24) Yes! But this proves neither literal preexistence, nor eternal deity. 

Jesus said there is only one true God, and He is The Father! (John 17:3) John 17:5 MUST be understood and interpreted in that light. Since John 17:3 disallows for the deity of Christ, as an equal with the Father, an "ideal" or "figurative" understanding of preexistence is reasonable.

The only alternative to this is a literal preexistence as taught by the Jehovah’s Witnesses. The JW’s hold to a doctrine of preexistence similar to that of the ancient theologian Arius, who got in trouble with his bishop Athanasius, for saying “there was a time when Jesus was not” - meaning, Jesus was created at some point in time before the world was created, but he was not eternal deity. This teaching was based on Col 1:15 where Paul describes Jesus as “the firstborn of all creation.” 

But these interpretations are simply not compatible with the whole context of Scripture. Jesus was a man anointed by God to bring about His eternal plan of salvation for men. His own reward was exaltation with glory and honor, and a "name above every name... to the glory of God the Father" (Phil 2:11).

If you have been reading through this article and hold the traditional orthodox view of Jesus, it’s likely I haven’t changed your mind. But I pray that I have given you a strong argument to seriously consider, and that you will now search this out for yourself. There is no substitute for personal research and discovery of truth. (Jn 8:32)

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For further study:

Dr. Dustin Smith, "An Introduction to Preexistence Within the Bible"

(click HERE or the image below)

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To share you thoughts about this topic, please post a comment. I'd love to hear from you!  All comments - pro and con - are welcome, but if you disagree please be respectful... I will not authorize mean-spirited comments.  Also, please check one of the reaction boxes below.

Did Jesus Perform Miracles Because He was God?

One of the most common errors among many Christians today is the belief that Jesus performed miracles in the New Testament because he was God. Another error like it is that he was sinless and overcame temptation because he was God. The Bible simply doesn't support either of these assumptions.

Recently I updated the Media Page on this blog to include the first in a series of video messages on the Kingdom of God, by Dr. Gordon Fee. As of the date of this post, I only have one video uploaded, but the others will follow soon.

If you are not familiar with Dr. Fee, he is an American-Canadian Christian theologian and ordained minister with the Assemblies of God. He currently serves as Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The following short video is an excerpt from one of Dr. Fee's lectures back in the 70's or 80's in which he addresses the question, "Did Jesus perform miracles because he was God?".

To my knowledge, since Dr Fee is still affiliated with the Assemblies of God, I assume he is Trinitarian with respect to his doctrine of God, although he does have some disagreement with article 7 of the Assemblies of God Statement of Fundamental Truths regarding the traditional understanding of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

That said, Dr. Fee's teaching on the Kingdom of God, as well as the power that drove Jesus miracles, are right on point. Christian pastors and church goers would do well to take a lesson from Dr. Fee, and the Bible on these two important topics. Consider the following few verses...

"There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord." -- Isaiah 11:1-3

"And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." -- Luke 4:17-21

"For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he (God)  gives the Spirit without measure." -- John 3:34

"Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." -- Acts 2:33

"...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." -- Acts 2:38 

"The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus..." -- Acts 3:13 

"Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel'." -- Mark 1:14-15

"I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns as well; for I was sent for this purpose." -- Luke 4:43 (ESV - emphasis mine)

Jesus was empowered by the Spirit of God to announce the coming Kingdom of God, his primary focus in ministry. And his miracles were proof, not of his Deity, but that he was the long awaited Messiah of Israel! I only wish we would hear more of this kind of preaching in our churches, and be more careful to use the language of the Bible when we speak of Jesus and the gospel!

I hope you enjoyed the video. And I encourage you to visit my Media Page for Dr. Fee's excellent video presentations on The Kingdom of God.



I'd love to hear from you! To share you thoughts about this topic, please post a comment. All comments - both pro and con - are welcome, but please be respectful. Also, please check one of the reaction boxes below.

Is the God of the Bible the Father Alone?

On Friday evening, 1/11/2019, there was a debate on the subject "Is the God of the bible the Father alone? This debate featured Dr. Dale Tuggy (Unitarian) and Dr. Michael Brown (Trinitarian). It's quite lengthy (as are most debates) but well worth your time. If you haven't seen it yet, be sure to set some time aside to listen. I found it quite interesting, entertaining, and enlightening.

I love one of the comments made after Dr Browns 20 minute introductory remarks. It reads:

"19 minutes of 'this is how God is'... followed by 'let's stop trying to understand God'."

In my opinion, Dr. Tuggy won this debate, but I'm probably biased since I happen to agree with his position. Anyway, listen for yourself and see what you think.

If you are interested, you can also listen to segments of the debate with commentary at https://www.youtube.com/restorationfellowship


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Theology Matters

Theology... doctrine... These words elicit a less than positive response in many people, am I right?

Some years back I was considering a Sunday morning Bible class on "covenants". I asked several people what they thought about this kind of class and the responses were dismal to say the least - very discouraging to me.

What most people seem to want is what they refer to as "practical" teaching, IE. how to live out your faith in daily life. Of course, I couldn't agree more that we need this kind of teaching. However, can we really expect to live out our faith accurately, if our theology and doctrine are  wrong? I don’t think so!

The apostle Paul wrote most of the books of the New Testament, and in them he quotes or alludes often to the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament). Why? Because in spite of any revelations he received about Jesus and his gospel of the kingdom, the Hebrew Scriptures formed the basis of his theology, because they formed the basis of Jesus' theology!

The fact is, everything Paul writes to the various churches is doctrinal in nature! Whether it's about Jesus as Messiah, Yahweh as the One God and Father, the gospel message itself, or how we should live in light of these truths. It’s all about good theology and sound doctrine (teaching).

See the following Scriptures: Rom 16:17, 25; 1Cor 15:1-11; 2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 1:6-11; Eph 4:14; Phil 1:27; 3:2-3; 2 Tim 1:8-10; 2 Tim 3:16; 1 Tim 1:3, 10; 4:3, 6; 6:3; Tit 2:7

The following video speaks to the importance of theology.

Amen!! I think the producers of this video did a wonderful job showing the importance of good theology, thorough research, and right teaching.

If the Scriptures are inspired by God and are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16), then shouldn’t we be careful to get it right? (2 Tim 2:15) Unfortunately, much of today’s theology and teaching is based on 1000's of years of tradition which has been heavily influenced by Greek philosophy.

This unbiblical, pagan way of thinking, infiltrated the Church shortly after the demise of the apostles and led to doctrines that do not sound like Jesus or Paul. Not that the theologians of the 2nd and 3rd centuries, and beyond, were deliberately trying to distort the truth, but that is exactly what happened, little by little over many years.

Doctrines such as the trinity, and the soul leaving the body at death for an eternal destination in heaven or hell, are all based on pagan teachings (Platonism), not Hebrew Scripture. The bishops and church leaders after the time of the apostles may have been sincere in their desire to understand Scripture, but they were terribly mistaken! This information about church history can be obtained easily by doing a search online, or reading any classic history.

But the Bible itself, our final authority as Christians, is very clear on the subject of who God is and who Jesus is. But with so many years of teaching the Trinity, it is nearly impossible for people to read the Bible for what it actually says. Instead, we tend to read into it what we have been told, what we already think to be true.

Ask God to give you "new eyes" in your Bible reading and study! The following is a rather lengthy list of Bible verses. But please take the time to read them with an open heart and mind and let the truth set you free!

• Isaiah 45:5 – "I am the LORD (YHWH) and there is no other, there is no God besides me."
• Exodus 3:15 – "Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The LORD (YHWH), the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you."
• Acts 3:13 – "The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has glorified his servant Jesus."
• Acts 10:38 – "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all oppressed by the devil, for God was with him."
• Isaiah 61:1 – "The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the LORD (YHWH) has anointed me."
• Luke 4:18-21 – "He (Jesus) unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me,’…He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing."
• 1 Cor. 8:6 – "Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom all things are and for whom we exist, and one Lord Jesus Christ."
• 1 Cor. 1:3 – "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 2 Cor. 1:2 – "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• Philippians 1:2 – "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 1 Thessalonians 1:1 – "To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 1 Thessalonians 3:13 – "To be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus."
• 2 Thessalonians 1:2 – "Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 2 Thessalonians 2:16 – "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us."
• Philippians 4:20 – To our God and Father, glory for ever and ever. Amen."
• Colossians 1:2 – "Peace from God our Father."
• Ephesians 1:3 - “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…”
• Ephesians 4:6 – "One God and Father of all."James1:1 – "James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 1 Timothy 1:2 – "Peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
• 2 Timothy 1:2 – "Peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord."
• Titus 1:4 – "Peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our savior."
• Philemon vv. 3 – "Peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• Galatians 1:3 "Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."
• 1 Peter 1:3 – "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
• 2 Cor. 1:3 – "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
• 2 Cor. 11:31 – "The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows, he who is blessed forever, that I do not lie."
• Revelation 1:6 – "Who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father."
• Ephesians 1:17 – "That the God of our Lord, the Father of glory."
• Micah 5:4 – "He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD (YHWH), in the majestic name of the LORD, HIS GOD."
• John 20:17 - "I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God."
• Matthew 27:46 - "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"
• Revelation 3:12 - "Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God."
• Revelation 3:2 - "For I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God."
• Hebrews 13:20 – "May the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep by the blood of the eternal covenant."
• Acts 5:30 – "The God of our ancestors raised Jesus."
• Acts 2:22 – "Jesus the Nazorean was a MAN commended to you by God with mighty deeds, wonders, and signs, which God worked through him in your midst."
• Acts 10:40 – This MAN God raised on the third day."
• Acts 17:31 – "God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now He demands that all people everywhere repent because He has established a day on which He will judge the world with justice through a MAN He has appointed, and He has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead."
• 1 Timothy 2:5 – "For there is one God and one mediator also between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus."
• 1 Corinthians 15: 21 –"For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man"
• Acts 10:38 – "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the holy Spirit and power." 
• Deuteronomy 18:18 – "And the LORD (YHWH) said to me, I will raise up for you a prophet like you FROM AMONG YOUR OWN KINSMEN, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him."
• Acts 3:20-22 – "that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you." 
• Isaiah 53:3 – "He was spurned and avoided by men, a MAN of suffering."
• Rev. 1:1 – "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to him."
• Mark 13:32 – "But of that hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, NOR THE SON, but only the Father."
• John 17:3 – "Now this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ."
• Mark 10:18 – "Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone."

CONCLUSION

The above verses are not difficult, nor are they disputed by scholars for grammar or possible transmission errors. But ask someone who has been indoctrinated in the Trinity (the majority of Christianity) to explain one of these simple verses and see what happens. They will jump through hoops and do backflips to make them mean what they want them to mean; IE. that Jesus is both God and man.

Dear friends, theology matters, truth matters, sound doctrine matters. Don’t live the rest of your life believing a lie, no matter how good it may sound to you, or how many others accept it as true.

Jesus was born of a virgin, empowered by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed the coming kingdom of God, was tempted yet without sin, and was killed by evil men, then buried in a cave for three days. But God raised him out from the dead as “the firstfruits of them that sleep”, exalted him into heaven where he now sits at God’s right hand, and he will return to earth to inaugurate God’s kingdom at a time only God knows. When he returns the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain will be caught up to meet him in the air, and we will reign with him over the earth. This is the gospel in a nutshell.

"But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God" - Jn 1:12

"These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life." - 1Jn 5:13

"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." - James 1:18

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." - 1Pet 1:3-5

"for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." - Gal 3:26

Do you believe this?

"The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” -- Rom 10:8-11

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I Was Blind ... but Now I See!

"Amazing grace how sweet the sound

That saved someone like me

I once was lost but now I’m found

Was blind but now I see."

You recognize this great old hymn, right? And to me, it’s still as relevant now as it was 40 years ago!

Anyone who has experienced the life-changing power of Jesus Christ through the gospel understands and relates to the message in this song. But many are spiritually blind. What makes deception so devilish is that those being deceived are not aware they are being deceived! Can it be that the the masses of people on our planet live in deception and walk in darkness? Deceived by religions, by governments, by traditions, by their own sin?

I don’t presume to have all the answers, but I know this - I was deceived! As a young man I thought Christianity was a fantasy. I preferred to think that aliens were responsible for life on this planet or that, perhaps it was created out of nothing as the result of a “big bang”. I thought that smoking marijuana would enhance my senses and enlarge my brain (wow, I still can’t believe that one! ...and I thought Christianity was a fantasy?). I preferred to believe in anything other than the truth, that a good God created us to know and love Him, and to offer us a dynamic and fulfilling life of faith in relationship with Him.

But for me, it really all came down to one thing - accountability! I just didn’t want to be accountable to God for my life and actions because I thought it would prevent me from enjoying everything life had to offer. I was deceived! When I realized that life wasn’t as great as I thought it would be, or should be, given that I could do anything I wanted without consequences (or so I thought), I began to think seriously about my lifestyle - my choices.

Not long after, through the testimony of a good friend, I bowed my heart before God, asking for forgiveness. And in that very moment something happened that cannot be adequately told - it's better experienced. It was like a film had been removed from my eyes, and suddenly I could see clearly. And not only that, but I felt that several pounds of weight had been removed from my shoulders! I felt peace and joy in my heart, and even the air I breathed seemed fresher. I'm not exaggerating!

This is the shortened story of my conversion experience and I will never forget that moment. It is forever etched in my psyche, and I have never been the same since that day in February of 1974. Praise God! But these days, that great old song has taken on a second meaning for me. Little did I know back then that one could come to know the one who IS truth - Jesus - and still be deceived. In fact, for many years I embraced  teachings I thought were truth - right out of the Bible. However, in the past few years, as I have sought God for answers and clarification on certain issues, I have discovered that much of what I was taught as a protestant, evangelical, pentecostal Christian, was simply more fiction than fact!

Without question, the biggest error I have encountered as a Christian is the doctrine of the Trinity! Admittedly, it’s a teaching I could never understand, nor can anyone else if they are honest. But that didn’t stop me from believing it, and embracing it. Isn’t that amazing? It is NOT explicitly proclaimed anywhere in the pages of the Bible, yet it is embraced by millions as the central truth of Christianity. Isn’t that the very definition of deception? Thousands of well-meaning, intelligent men and women have put forth their impassioned philosophical debates along with arguments from biblical narrative and biblical grammar, all in an attempt to support an idea that cannot be proved. They make up charts and graphs, reference anecdotal and fictional writings, as well as illustrations from science and nature. And they do this with great enthusiasm in an attempt to make a contradiction, somehow, believable. But in the real world, three is not one and one is not  three!

Every argument attempting to explain the Trinity can only end up one way - “you just have to take it by faith.” Well... I don’t have to take it… and neither do you! God never asks us to believe a logical contradiction. There are no examples of this anywhere in Scripture. Oh yes, to be sure, there are many things in the Bible we cannot explain; ie. how did God lengthen a day for Joshua, how was Philip translated from one location to another in an instant of time, how did God raise Jesus from the dead, and oh by the way, what is God's origin anyway - who created Him? (to name just a few) But the fact is, all these things are explicitly stated in the Bible as having actually happened, and so, even though we can’t explain them we DO take them by faith.

But this is NOT so with the Trinity! None of the fine arguments theologians use to make their case for the Trinity is ever made by any person in the Old or New Testament, ever! They didn’t have to defend a Triune God because that concept never entered their minds!! So why do we persist in this deception? Why is it so important?

...It’s religion.

Well, I could go on and on, but that’s not my purpose here. I simply want to make one point. Living the christian life does not require some higher knowledge that was not evident, or that was hidden at the time of conversion. I did not confess the Trinity in order to “get saved”, nor did you. I did, however, confess Jesus as lord, as the one who died as the sacrifice for my sins. I recognized that Jesus was the Son of God, sent so that I would not perish, but have everlasting life! I didn’t understand then the sense of being “sent”, I just believed that Jesus death somehow paid for my sin, and I was forgiven. There is no reason to twist and distort Scripture in a way that makes Jesus something he never claimed himself to be! He is the Son of God, not God the Son!

Today, I sing “amazing grace” with a double meaning because I have not only been rescued from sin, but also rescued from an error that had kept my mind in the dark - a confusion in understanding God and Jesus, and how to pray. It was like being a victim of brainwashing; consistently told to see black when you are actually looking at white! Ah, but now I truly see! God alone is God and Jesus is the Son of God, our lord, born of a virgin, sent (commissioned) to proclaim the gospel about the kingdom of God and freely give his life to redeem us from the power of sin, which is death.

This view, I’m convinced, is what the Bible clearly declares as being taught to the first disciples by Jesus himself. And it is that message that was proclaimed by the same to the 1st century church! The conflation of Father, Son, and Spirit crept into the church after the death of the apostles through vain philosophies, as Paul himself consistently warned.

I urge you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, to consider what I say here. Seriously question why you believe what you believe and ask Father God to help you see Scripture with “new eyes”. Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth, and God will guide you and teach you by His Spirit, if you are willing to listen. Listen, and be amazed!.

Please feel free to share your thoughts by posting a comment.

Is God One or Three?

“You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that

—and tremble with fear.” The NET Bible (Jas 2:19).

God is One! So reads the NASB, NET, ASV, BBE, Darby, ESV, HCSB, Weymouth, YLT, CBE, AMP, RSV, NRSV, Lexham, and NAB. Other translations read "there is one God" or something similar. The underlying Greek clearly allows for both, but context is always king. The word in Greek is eis, which is a cardinal number meaning one (1)! While there are certain texts which translate eis as alone, only, or even first, the word simply means one! It can also be translated by the word "single" or the preposition "a" which is used before nouns and noun phrases that denote a single but unspecified person or thing, ie. a region; a person. That it has the meaning of one singular person, or being, in the text above, is in sync with the sh’ma as recorded at Deut 6:4, "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! (NASB). There, the Hebrew word is echad, also a cardinal number. Like eis, it may be translated in a variety of ways depending on context, but the primary meaning is ONE!

Although it can be understood in the sense that there is only one God, even in Deut 6:4, it is equally true that, that one God has a name... Yahweh! This fact precludes any thought that He is plural in nature, or that “one” means anything other than "one person"! Also, He is called not only by His Name, but also by the term elohim (God) using singular personal pronouns thousands of times in the Hebrew Scriptures. This should be of great significance to anyone who understands the importance of words as a means of communication.

I am by no means a master of the English language, but I understand this: I must choose the correct words to convey my meaning. If I use the pronouns he, she, it, him, his, my, mine, etc; I expect to be understood as referring to a single person, place, or thing.  These pronouns as used in the the Biblical texts all support the idea of one person or one thing, it's not complicated! If the Scriptures were written for our benefit, for our instruction (2Tim 3:16), and they are truly inspired by God, it would be inappropriate and unseemly to use words that cause confusion. Certainly, “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” (1 Cor 14:33)

Further, the sh’ma was endorsed by Jesus himself in Mark 12:29, where he is asked by a scribe of the law "which is the greatest of all commandments?". Jesus then quotes Deut 6:4, and notice how it reads in the NASB:

“Jesus answered, "The foremost is, 'HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD ;”  --Mark 12:29 (NASB)

He (God Almighty) is one Lord, not two or three!

.

The whole of the bible proclaims the central truth, that God is One! Jews and Christians both claim to be monotheists, but the  majority of christianity has adopted and long held the notion that monotheism can be supported by the view that God is three persons in One being. Or “three who’s in one what” as one modern day theologian has stated. This idea is really a stretch from what the Bible actually teaches. There can be no distinction between a person and a being. It breaks every rule of logic and of language!

The apostle James writes his letter to "the 12 tribes in the dispersion" (James 1:1), very similar to Peter who writes to "elect exiles of the dispersion" (1Pet 1:1), both referring to Jewish people; yet these letters are clearly written to christian believers. My argument is that ALL christians in the early church, Jew and Gentile alike, were taught from the Hebrew Scriptures which adamantly demanded that God is One Person.

Acts 15 records the first church council, long before Nicea, in which the church leaders led by Peter and James, excused the gentile believers from being circumcised and, presumably, from all the "traditions of the fathers". But this very exclusion strongly suggests that the gentile church was instructed in Torah (the Law of Moses), as well as the Writings and the Prophets. While certain “traditions” may not have been incumbent on gentile christians, the all important creed of the Jews from Deut 6:4 remained central in the teaching of the Jewish christians, and certainly would not have been bypassed in the instruction of gentile believers!

But James and Peter are not the only New Testament writers to attest to the unity of God as one single Person. In Rom 3:30 Paul speaks about God being the God of both Jew and Greek and says, “Since God is one, he will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith."  Again, a strong reference to the sh’ma of Deut 6:4. Here, it should perhaps be understood that Paul means it primarily in the sense that "God alone" is God, but this does not negate the reality that He is One Person. At 1Cor 8:5-6 Paul writes:

  “For even if there are so-called gods whether in heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many lords, yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. (NASB - emphasis mine)

Paul states that the one true God is "the Father"! This underscores what I've been saying, that God is one single person!

In Matt 19:17 Jesus himself is recorded as saying "...there is only one who is good". Who is that one? Can there be any doubt that Jesus' reference was to God the Father? This is the fundamental belief of every Jew. There is no God but one, and He is the One singular Person,Yahweh, the Father (the creator of all). Although we can’t rely on the veracity of everything the pharisee’s are reported to have said, there can be little doubt about their correctness on this point! The pharisee’s knew well that

"...We have only one Father, God himself." - John 8:41 (NET)  

Also, take note of Paul’s words in Eph 4:4-6:

   "There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." (NET - emphasis mine)

In this verse, Paul is not ambiguous about who the "one God" is; He is the Father. But who is the one Lord? Well, this should be apparent also, he is Jesus! And if words mean anything, this one fact should also be apparent: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one faith, and one baptism are not the same thing! If that is true, then neither are one lord and one God the same person. Further, if there is one God and He is the Father, then the one lord is not the Father, nor can he be God. They are not the same!

The Greek language has only one word for “lord”. It is kurios. (see comment on this for correction) Therefore, its referent must be understood from context. This fact has led to some confusion. At times, the New Testament writers refer to God as lord, and other times the term is a reference to Christ Jesus as lord. The Lord God has always been THE Lord of all, the Lord God Almighty, but Jesus was given the title of Lord and Christ by God!

“For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

   ‘The Lord said to my lord,

   “Sit at my right hand

   until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” ’

Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.” -- emphasis mine, The NET Bible (Acts 2:29–36)

The reference in verse 34 is from Psalm 110:1 where two distinct Hebrew words are translated as lord. The first (Lord) is from the Hebrew adonai (pronounced adonay” which is always used for God Almighty, the Lord. The second lord is a variation, adoni (pronounced adonee) found 195 times in the Old Testament, and always referring to a human master (lord). This distinction is not clear in Strong’s Concordance or the Greek language, but the NASB correctly makes the distinction using capital “L” for the first Lord, and small “l” for the second. It is the Lord God Yahweh who says to his Messiah (David’s lord), the human lord, “sit at my right hand”!

   “As a result God exalted him

   and gave him the name

   that is above every name,

   so that at the name of Jesus

   every knee will bow

   —in heaven and on earth and under the earth—

   and every tongue confess

   that Jesus Christ is Lord (should be small “l”)

   to the glory of God the Father. -- emphasis mine, The NET Bible (Php 2:9–11)

It is the Lord God who exalts Jesus (the lord Messiah), and this exaltation is meant to bring glory to God the Father! How far the christian church has fallen from its Judaic roots and understanding of who God and Jesus are as proclaimed in God’s holy book, the Bible.  

Jesus said he came not to destroy the Torah but to fulfill it! In other words, he came to correctly interpret and act it out. Look again at the primary text:

“You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that

—and tremble with fear.” The NET Bible (Jas 2:19).

James point here is that if you profess this fundamental teaching that God is One, as all orthodox Jews did and continue to do, as Jesus did, and as all christians -Jew and gentile alike - are called upon to do, then you are doing what is good and right! Monotheism has always been and continues to be the foundation of Hebrew theology, and to believe correctly about God -  that He is one Divine Person and there is no other besides Him is the right way, the orthodox way, of believing. And notice that he says, even demons have this understanding and belief about God - they know it to be true - yet they tremble, presumably out of fear, because they know what their end will be. Correct doctrine by itself is of no value without faith, and a proper  response to that doctrine. And yet, who can deny that good doctrine is vital to the outworking of our faith?

I hope this short article will spark some deeper interest in you to research the matter for yourself. For me, it has been over six years since I came to this new understanding (which is really the old), and each day since, I never cease to be amazed at how clear the Bible really is on this subject. Yet, most christians have a blind spot on the issue of the trinity, as I did for many years. My prayer is that many more will begin to read their bibles with “new eyes”. I will end this writing with the words of Paul in Eph 1:17-23:

“...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,  and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might  which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,  far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.  And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,  which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” (NASB)


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