GOD, NOT THREE, BUT ONE (The Falacy of Trinity).
ONE GOD, NOT THREE
(2Tim.1:7 & Num.11:23-29
(The Fallacy of Trinity)
God is supreme and sovereign and He has all things under control according to His Will, Word and His spirit. He made you and me and now He has sent His Son, Jesus Christ to redeem every one of us. If you reject Him, you will live hereafter without Him, but if you believe in Him and accept His offer, you will meet God one of these days. However, you have to let Him guide, lead, direct and watch over your life by the spirit of God. God knows all things and He will not allow you to be deceived if you are committed to Him in Christ through the spirit of God.
There is only one God who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, but Jesus Christ is not the first son of God. The scripture said, “Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural and afterwards that which is spiritual.” (ICor.15:46) Adam was the first son of God and then came Jesus Christ, who was born under the law and of a woman to redeem the sons and daughters of God who were by Adam. The scripture said, “The first man was made a living soul and the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” (v. 45) Adam was called the first man and Christ, the last Man or Adam. The Spirit of God is never apart from God and did not have separate personality. We humans have allocated to the Spirit of God distinct and individual personality away from the One who possesses the Spirit. For instant, a man has a body and within that body he has a spirit. When we separate the spirit from the man, he dies. His spirit is part of him that constitutes him as a personality.
The scripture said, “Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was revealed in the human flesh, He was justified or vindicated in the spirit as One who stood in man’s place, He was seen for the first time in the flesh by angels, He was preached or proclaimed to mankind as the Lamb of God who has vanquished sin and death and then He was received or taken up to glory where He came from in the first place”. God was in His Son in the revelation, vindication, vision of angels, proclamation and in the reception into glory. If you try to figure it out, you will lose your mind because it is a great mystery and it is far greater than what our minds can comprehend. (1Tim.3:16)
The three scriptures that tend to support the idea of Three Distinct Personalities of God are 2Cor.13:14, Matt.28:19-20 and 1John.5:7-8. When we look very closely at these scriptures, we find that they are not in keeping with the Law of first Mentioned. It is an error of man to dissect and divide God into three distinct persons and yet it has been going on for centuries. We have believed errors and incorrect translation of the WORD OF God. The correct translation of 2Cor.13:14 should be: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the Father and the communion of His Spirit, be with you all.” This translation is in keeping with the Law of first Mentioned. Matt.28:19 should read: “Go you therefore, teaching all nations and baptizing them into the authority of the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ by the spirit of God.”
1John.5:7-8 is more complicated than the first two, but there are no three personalities in heaven. There is only One Being in heaven with His Son, Jesus Christ and rules all things through Him by His Spirit. So this scripture does not comply with the Law of first Mentioned. In verse 6, God by His Spirit bore witness to the accuracy of the birth of His Son, Jesus Christ. There are basic components in the birth of man on earth: The flesh, which contains the blood, water which is 75% of man and the spirit, the non material part of man which has the soul. Life as we know it is not possible if one of these three items is missing, hence the cohesion and agreement. (v.8)
If we have a portion of the scripture that does not line up with the Law of first Mentioned as to the monotheistic nature of God the Father, we must question that scripture even if it is 2,000 years old. The Old Testament rings loud and clear! ”Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One Lord and not three or four.” (Deut.6:4)
God is the giver of the “Spirit” either to the prophets, Christ and the New Testament Saints. The Spirit that He gives is holy, hence, the Holy Spirit. The scripture said: “God has not given us the “Spirit” of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” God gave Adam, the prophets, the scribes, teachers, recorders, builders, Jesus Christ, the Apostles, the disciples and the saints of His “Spirit” and the Spirit is holy. The Spirit of God is the power, wisdom and love of the Father, God and it is this “Spirit” that we have all received the ability to flow in divine and supernatural spheres for the glory of God. The descent of the “Spirit” in Matt.3:16, Acts.2:1-11, 8:14-18, 10:44-46, 19:1-7, 1Cor.12:1-13, 14:1-40 was sharing with mankind some of His essence. God gave to men and women of His “Spirit” and they were able to do super human things and saw and heard angels, spirits and His voice in the realms above us.
So Jesus Christ came to our world and took on the form of a man, becoming one of us, but separated from sin, the flesh, demons and Satan. He was a whole man representing divinity filled with the Life of God, His Father. He never did any miracle until His Father entered into Him by His “Spirit” and then He was all over the then world. He was given the authority over land, sea and air. He did miracles through His Spirit that would leave our mouths drooping and totally mesmerized and lost in wonder. Blind ones saw, lepers were cleansed, demons cried out people, sea obeyed Him, cancer, ulcer, tuberculosis, arthritis, crippled arms and limbs received strength, barren wombs healed to conceive babies and much more of mind blowing miracles beyond our time and era. The Father did all that through His Spirit in men and women!
He said to all that His Father was doing all these things through Him and He credited His works as done by the Power of the spirit of God. When it was time for Him to return to where He came from, He put on His followers out of the spirit that His Father has put on Him upon 120 people to carry on the same works and greater than what He Himself did because the same Father would be with them though the same spirit that was on Him. The Father responded to the Son and allowed His spirit in the Son to be poured out on 120 and thus the Church was born. The Father through the Son and the spirit of the Father in the Son through the 120 people in the upper room and that is the correct lineup. The spirit of God was like fire and it was burning all over the world as humanity would allow Him to come in through Jesus Christ. When we allow the spirit to come in, we are allowing God, the Father to take over our lives and continue to do what He does best: transforming lives.
The apostles, the prophets and those who were present with Him at that time have all died. The early Church and the Church fathers began to gather the written information, parchments, books, cloaks, documents and anything they could lay their hands on bearing the prints of the Lord and His Apostles. They synchronized every document into a cohesive unit and formulated doctrines out of which came the Trinity. They did not leave alone what they did not understand and thereby doing injustices and damages to the generations still to come even beyond the 21st first century.
God has a spirit and it is called "holy spirit" and I have a spirit and it is not called "holy spirit". God put His spirit on Jesus Christ in Matthew 3:16-17 and by permission from the Father, Christ put the same spirit upon 120 in the upper room and the fire of the almighty God continued to blaze and spread all over the world. Jesus Christ continued to put the spirit of God on Him upon all who will believe that the Father had sent Him to this world for direction, intimacy, relationship, leadership, knowledge, revelation, wisdom, power, might and much more.
The concept of a family began in the mind of God, our Creator and it was given to mankind in Adam and Eve. Paul’s prayer said, “I bow my knees for this reason before God, the Father from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” (Eph.1:14-15) All of earth’s family proceeds from the Father and He is a Champion of the home made up of parents and children, a miniature, replica and picture of what God is building in heaven for mankind.
If you look at Revelation 4-5, you will not only see the awesome structure of a great King and His Kingdom, but also of a family with the authority and setting of these words, “You were slain and your Blood purchased men for God from every tribe, language, people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on earth.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father was the first of this family of God. He was born into the family of Joseph and Mary and He represented all the families on earth and in heaven. Paul wrote to the Colossian’s saints and said, “Christ, who is the Image of the invisible God, the First born of every creation of God who by Him were all things created, that are heaven and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominion, principalities, powers and all things were created by Him and for Him and He is before all things and by Him all things consist.” Col.1:15-16
God wants a large family and not Trinitarian government and authority. He revealed Himself in the Son and then in us, so that the Father may be all in all. So there is One God who has revealed Himself through His Son by His spirit. The Sin in turn revealed His Father in us through His spirit that was allotted to Him by His Father. So it is the same spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead that is living in us. In other words, God is living in us through His spirit because we are in Christ Jesus.
So you see, they are not two gods and neither are they three gods or four, five and six gods, but the same God and the Father our Lord Jesus Christ and through Him is doing all these things in the Church and the world. The two scriptures that the early Church and the fathers have destroyed are Matt.28 verse 19-20 and 1John.5 verses 7-8 to make what they did not understand fit perfectly together. But when error becomes truth, then we are in danger of losing our bearing in God and God alone. The authority of the Son is the Father's by His spirit. All men and women are baptized into the authority of the spirit of the Father. As for IJohn.5:7-8, there is a gross misunderstanding of the spirit and the distinction of it apart from the spirit of God.
Look closely at the following scriptures: 1Cor.8:56; John.16:27-28; Col.1:14-17; 1Tim.2:5; John.14:28; Heb.12:9; 1Cor.8:6; Col.1:13-15; Eph.2:19; 1Cor.15:28; Rom.8:14-16; Luke.1:35; Luke.11:13; John.14:16-17; Num.11:23-29; 1Sam.10:5-10; 1Tim.2:5; Isa.44:8; Eph.1:11; Rom.11:36; Matt.5:48; John.4:24; 2Cor.4:4; John.17:3; 1Sam.15:29; ICor.15:20-28 and Roms.5:12-21
God Wants A Family
The concept of a family began in the mind of God, our Creator and it was given to mankind in Adam and Eve. Paul prayer said, “I bow my knees for this reason before God the Father from whom the whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name.” (Eph.1:14-15) All earth’s family proceeds from the Father and He is a Champion of the home made up of parents and children, a miniature and picture of what God is building in heaven.
If you look at Rev. 4-5, you will not only see the awesome structure of a great king and His kingdom, but also of a family with the authority and setting these words, “You were slain and your Blood purchased men for God from every tribe, language, people and nation. You have made them to be a Kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on earth.”
Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father was the first in these families of God. He was born into the family of Joseph and Mary and He represented all the families on earth and in heaven. Paul wrote to the Colossian’s saints, “Christ, who is the Image of the invisible God, the First born of every creation of God who by Him were all things created, that are heaven and on the earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, dominion, principalities, powers and all things were created by Him and for Him and He is before all things and by Him all things consist.”
God wants a large family and not Trinitarian government and authority. He revealed Himself in the Son and then in us, so that the Father may be all in all. So there is One God who has revealed Himself through His Son by His spirit. The Sin in turn revealed His Father in us through His spirit that was allotted to Him by His Father. So it is the same spirit of God that raised Christ from the dead that is living in us. In other words, God is living in us through His spirit because we are in Christ Jesus.
REJECTING THE SPIRIT IS REJECTING GOD
If you refused to accept the Holy Spirit in anything that the Father is offering, then you have rejected God. If you don’t want healing, tongues, blessings or any form of the gifts that the Spirit was to impart, it amounts to refusing the Almighty God. We cannot separate the Spirit of God from God who is the Giver and Provider of the Spirit. We cannot elevate the Spirit of God to the Status of God because you are dealing with the same Being. God is Spirit. The Scripture said, “The Lord is that Spirit and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.” (2Cor.3:17) In other words, God is that spirit and where the spirit of God is, there is the presence of God and freedom from all bondages. But when it comes to receiving the Holy Spirit we make a judgment call and then separate the Spirit and the One who has the Spirit, even the Lord our God.
We sing a song which really clarifies this confusion. The song is this: “Holy Spirit thou art welcome in this place, Holy Spirit thou are art welcome in this place, omnipotent Father of mercy and grace, thou welcome in this place." This song did justice to the Spirit as coming from God and it is part of the Almighty God. It is not separate from Him and it does not have any identity apart from the God of heaven. God is in His children by the Spirit in the Old Testament and the New Testament beginning from Adam to the prophets, kings, recorders, scribes, teachers, Christ, apostles, evangelists, pastors and the New Testament prophets.
1. Matt.3:11-17,
2. Jn.4:14-15, 7:37-39,
3. 1Cor.12:1-13, 14:1-40,
4. Luke.1:28-42, 67-80; 11:11-13,
5. Gal.3:1-5,
6. Acts.2:1-11, 5:32, 8:12-18, 10:44-46, 19:1-7,
7. Joel.2:28-32,
8. 1Sam.10:1-13,
9. Num.11:21-30,
10. 2Tim.1:1-8, 11) Roms.1:1-4
It seems to me that Trinity
It seems to me that Trinity was a term developed to express a ming-boggling truth and was not an effort to make Jesus into something more than he was in order to let people off the hook.
The primary purpose for God sending Jesus into the world was to establish a closer, more personal relationship with human beings to prepare them for union with Him in the future. God set the stage for this by requiring material sacrifices from human beings and by building up the people of Israel. He then demonstrated what He would do and how significant that would be when He requested that Abraham sacrifice his only and beloved son. Through the prophets, God conveyed the information that would identify Jesus as His son, the Messiah.
Then, once Jesus was in the world, God spoke on several occasions, such as at Jesus baptism and Transfiguration. After Jesus was crucified and was buried, He arose and was present in the world again for a time before people witnessed His ascension into heaven.
ReyHinckley, this stuff wasn't made up by Constantine or by the many people who gave up all their worldly goods in order to spread the news about Jesus, the Son of God, and salvation. Sure Jesus was serious about nonviolence, but more significantly, Jesus was serious about showing people that they have access to God's power in this life and in the next. Consider that the Beatitudes express that God will compensate those who do not appear successful by human standards--they are the fortunate ones, because they are the ones whose attitudes and circumstances open them to God.
Interesting point Rey
Interesting point Rey Hinkley. While I find your historical context interesting and would like to hear more it does not satisfy me as the origin of the Trinity. When I meditate on the trinity though it just seems to make so much sense. (I don't want to sound like a Platonist here, God help me no, but...) "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God and through Him God made all things" (John 1). These are awesome words, awesome concepts. If we see man's capacity to know as the distinguishing characteristic, if we see compassion and love (essentially related to one another and flowing from, with knowledge), if we see volition (will to and towards act also flowing from and with knowledge, love)) as defining our distinction from the rest of creation we are led inexorably to a reflection on knowing as key to our quest for God.
If "God made us in His image and likeness" this is where we begin to look to begin our quest to 'see' God. Man's capacity for reflection is the beginning of personal maturity, of civilization, of knowledge. Contemplate, for a moment Logos, the Word, being God's 'sense' of Self; the infinite, knowing Himself cannot be anything less than infinite too, a perfect, complete knowledge (logos) of self would be nothing less than self as other. The "Word" the sign that is as reflective of God as the Eucharist is of the historical act(s). Intimately linked as thinking to thought our language (in an era of female inferiority) could hardly express the concept better than "Father/Son. What is the reaction of an all-loving God to "seeing" the absolute reflection absolutely? Love, absolute, complete, infinite. What is the reaction of the Known that is no less than the Knower? Equally, infinite, absolute love.
(At this point my meditation throws in my definition of love, raided from Aristotle's Ethics: Love is a mutual benevolence mutually known). Here is the annalogous concept of love raised to its epitomal, unfathomable, infinite glory - a relationship where the dynamic inter-relation of the terms of the relationship is itself infinite and the mutuality so utterly complete that it too is no less than the Lovers. One God, in three persons. I love it, I love it.
As an epilogue, "...and through Him God made all things". We, creation, are in a real way a continuity of Christ, brought into the relationship by being created, elevated within the relationship by Christ's salvation, destined to return to the Father, in the Holy Spirit of love - now I see through a glass darkly, then face to face.
There may be myth in the story, in the words and in its historical origins but I do believe that behind the myth whether as I meditate or otherwise that is our place, our destiny. We are called to treat each other and all creation as God to the Son: know, love, tend, return.
It would be helpful to know
It would be helpful to know what the author's religious background is, since his or her essay does not seem to grasp the concept of the Trinity as it is expressed in Catholicism and its offshoots.
Having worked in and around
Having worked in and around the church for many years, it seems to me that the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox traditions which spun off other "Christian" traditions created the Trinity so as to make it possible that Jesus could be seen as the second "person" of the Trinity so God could be incarnated, dressed in a human form.
I don't know if Jesus was anymore the son of God than Adam or me. Jesus may have been the first one who raised enough awareness in his time of the possibility that God is a loving god and that life would work better if we all worked together and not seperate like dividing humanity into classes, the haves, the have nots and the have mores.
If Jesus was the second person of God incarnated, He would have no way to teach us faith. The fact that Jesus allowed himself to be captured tried, tortured, and killed proves that he was serious about nonviolence. Jesus did not use violence and told his disciples to put away the sword.
Constantine managed to water down the teachings of Jesus by making it unnecessary for his "followers" to follow his teaching and example by making his death seem to be a scrifice. Jesus said "I seek mercy not sacrifice."
Christians don't seem to mind the fact that Jesus was not "sacrificed" in a way that strengthened his teachings. Jesus was tortured not treated with the respect that Jesus expected his followers to treat the "least" of his disciples. Constantine also made Catholicism popular because by taking away the responsibility for its members to commit acts of civil disobedience and breaking bad laws in order to fix them by raising the consciousness of people. We can't accept any states' rights to kill people. Jesus was legally killed as have billions since his death. The fact that Christians don't see Rome as violating the spirit of Jesus' message of love and forgiveness.
I hope that you can see where I am heading. Consider this. Jesus did something that many of us are afraid to do. The fact that he did it doesn't make him God, but by making him appear to be God we lower our own expectations for our spirituality.
Peace!