Trinity
In the comments to my last post, the term "Trinity" was mentioned, so I thought I should address it properly.
"Trinity" is a religious term invented to identify God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit as a single entity. It is important to understand that this term is not contained anywhere in the Christian Bible, although all three "parts" of the trinity are mentioned individually many times in the Bible.
Over the years there has been much confusion over the term "Trinity". As I proved in my earlier post "Is Jesus Really God?", Jesus is God. Therefore the fact that He is identified and recognized separate from the Father, as well as the Holy Spirit being identified and recognized separate from both of them, seems to cause a paradox with the Jewish belief in only one God, which is also contained in the Christian Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). To solve the problem of blending the two concepts, the church invented the term "Trinity", which attempts to redefine the three "parts" of God into one. This has always been a very awkward solution, which is why the term "Trinity" continues to be confusing to this day.
Again, it is important to understand that the term "Trinity" is not contained anywhere in the Christian Bible. In fact the whole paradox of Jesus, the Farther, and the Holy Spirit being one God is never addressed in the Christian Bible. But this omission is not a flaw in Christian theology. It was never addressed because at the time the New Testament was put into writing, the idea of all three "parts" being one God wasn't in question. There was no paradox because the early church understood something about God that we still need to learn.
If you want to understand the "Trinity", do yourself a favor and forget all the books that have been written on the subject, and stay away from the many websites that attempt to address it. I have yet to come across a sound Biblical explanation of the "Trinity" from any source. They will only confuse you.
What I am about to share with you will probably blow your mind by it's simplicity. In fact one skeptic I shared it with several years ago, responded back with these words:
The Biblical basis for the "Trinity", and the real proof that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all part of the same God, can be shown with two scriptures:
The first scripture is found in the very front of the Bible, in book 1, chapter 1. Taken from the story of creation itself, this scripture puts to rest any question that the three parts of God are a New Testament invention.
The second scripture is also found early in the Bible. Taken out of the Old Testament law that is often misquoted to challenge the validity of the "Trinity", the fact that this scripture actually proves the "Trinity" is itself amazing.
Here's how the scriptural evidence comes together:
We see from Genesis 1:27 that man is made in the image of God, and we see from Deuteronomy 6:5 that man is made up of three parts, heart, soul, and strength. It is therefore a foregone conclusion that the God we are modeled after must also have those same three parts. The "Trinity" is nothing more than God’s heart, soul, and strength. It is no more a paradox to consider all three parts separate or together as the same God, than it is to consider them separate or together as the same man.
God the Father is God's heart (or spirit). God the Son is God's soul. God the Holy Spirit is God's strength (or body). Just as man's spirit rules over his soul, which rules over his body, so also God's spirit (the Father) rules over His soul (the Son) (John 5:19) which rules over His body (the Holy Spirit) (John 14:26). Just as it is man's body that touches and manipulates the physical world, so it is God's body (the Holy Spirit) that touches and manipulates the physical world (Luke 1:35, Acts 2:1-4). To become our Lord Jesus Christ, God literally put His own soul into a human body (try reading the word "soul" in Isaiah 53:10-12 the same after that revelation). That is how a 100% human being was able to also be 100% God. Just as separating man from his spirit brings death, so we now understand why the Father had to forsake the Son for Jesus to die (Matthew 27:46).
Jesus said in the scriptures "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). That was not just a figure of speech, they literally were and are the same person. Do you want to know the heart of the Father? Look at what Jesus did. Jesus's love was the Father's love. Jesus's compassion was the Father's compassion. Jesus's anger was the Father's anger. Jesus's forgiveness was the Father's forgiveness. He didn't just copy what He saw the father do, it all came from His very heart, the Father. Have you ever taken something to Jesus because you were too afraid to mention it before the Father? I bet you never worry about that again.
When Jesus ascended into heaven and gave us the Holy Spirit, that wasn't Him going away and sending someone else. Jesus still walks among us, even to this very day. He has never left us, and He has never stopped doing all of the miraculous things He did in human form. Just as He told us when He ascended, He remains with us always, to the very end (Matthew 28:20).
Even as much as I love to sing "Holy Holy Holy", the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not "God in Three Persons," they are all one and the same Person.
There are so many new revelations from God rooted in a proper understanding of the "Trinity" that I cannot even begin to state them here. You will never know how far closed your eyes were until they are opened. I hope I have opened your eyes.
James :)
"Trinity" is a religious term invented to identify God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit as a single entity. It is important to understand that this term is not contained anywhere in the Christian Bible, although all three "parts" of the trinity are mentioned individually many times in the Bible.
Over the years there has been much confusion over the term "Trinity". As I proved in my earlier post "Is Jesus Really God?", Jesus is God. Therefore the fact that He is identified and recognized separate from the Father, as well as the Holy Spirit being identified and recognized separate from both of them, seems to cause a paradox with the Jewish belief in only one God, which is also contained in the Christian Bible (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). To solve the problem of blending the two concepts, the church invented the term "Trinity", which attempts to redefine the three "parts" of God into one. This has always been a very awkward solution, which is why the term "Trinity" continues to be confusing to this day.
Again, it is important to understand that the term "Trinity" is not contained anywhere in the Christian Bible. In fact the whole paradox of Jesus, the Farther, and the Holy Spirit being one God is never addressed in the Christian Bible. But this omission is not a flaw in Christian theology. It was never addressed because at the time the New Testament was put into writing, the idea of all three "parts" being one God wasn't in question. There was no paradox because the early church understood something about God that we still need to learn.
If you want to understand the "Trinity", do yourself a favor and forget all the books that have been written on the subject, and stay away from the many websites that attempt to address it. I have yet to come across a sound Biblical explanation of the "Trinity" from any source. They will only confuse you.
What I am about to share with you will probably blow your mind by it's simplicity. In fact one skeptic I shared it with several years ago, responded back with these words:
"I think your dissertation on the Trinity may just be the most astounding piece of Theology I have ever read."
The Biblical basis for the "Trinity", and the real proof that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all part of the same God, can be shown with two scriptures:
The first scripture is found in the very front of the Bible, in book 1, chapter 1. Taken from the story of creation itself, this scripture puts to rest any question that the three parts of God are a New Testament invention.
Genesis 1:26-27 - Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (NIV)
The second scripture is also found early in the Bible. Taken out of the Old Testament law that is often misquoted to challenge the validity of the "Trinity", the fact that this scripture actually proves the "Trinity" is itself amazing.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (NIV)
Here's how the scriptural evidence comes together:
We see from Genesis 1:27 that man is made in the image of God, and we see from Deuteronomy 6:5 that man is made up of three parts, heart, soul, and strength. It is therefore a foregone conclusion that the God we are modeled after must also have those same three parts. The "Trinity" is nothing more than God’s heart, soul, and strength. It is no more a paradox to consider all three parts separate or together as the same God, than it is to consider them separate or together as the same man.
God the Father is God's heart (or spirit). God the Son is God's soul. God the Holy Spirit is God's strength (or body). Just as man's spirit rules over his soul, which rules over his body, so also God's spirit (the Father) rules over His soul (the Son) (John 5:19) which rules over His body (the Holy Spirit) (John 14:26). Just as it is man's body that touches and manipulates the physical world, so it is God's body (the Holy Spirit) that touches and manipulates the physical world (Luke 1:35, Acts 2:1-4). To become our Lord Jesus Christ, God literally put His own soul into a human body (try reading the word "soul" in Isaiah 53:10-12 the same after that revelation). That is how a 100% human being was able to also be 100% God. Just as separating man from his spirit brings death, so we now understand why the Father had to forsake the Son for Jesus to die (Matthew 27:46).
Jesus said in the scriptures "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). That was not just a figure of speech, they literally were and are the same person. Do you want to know the heart of the Father? Look at what Jesus did. Jesus's love was the Father's love. Jesus's compassion was the Father's compassion. Jesus's anger was the Father's anger. Jesus's forgiveness was the Father's forgiveness. He didn't just copy what He saw the father do, it all came from His very heart, the Father. Have you ever taken something to Jesus because you were too afraid to mention it before the Father? I bet you never worry about that again.
When Jesus ascended into heaven and gave us the Holy Spirit, that wasn't Him going away and sending someone else. Jesus still walks among us, even to this very day. He has never left us, and He has never stopped doing all of the miraculous things He did in human form. Just as He told us when He ascended, He remains with us always, to the very end (Matthew 28:20).
Even as much as I love to sing "Holy Holy Holy", the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not "God in Three Persons," they are all one and the same Person.
There are so many new revelations from God rooted in a proper understanding of the "Trinity" that I cannot even begin to state them here. You will never know how far closed your eyes were until they are opened. I hope I have opened your eyes.
James :)
posted by AskAboutGod | Monday, February 11, 2008
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