The Traditional Trinity - vs - The Biblical Godhead
How many heads does God have? Col 2:10:
"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power"!
The Bible only mentions the Godhead singular not Godheads plural. Why would this be?
Following is an exposition of
the
Bible believer in dialogue
with the religionist/nominalist (okay - trinitarian) who thinks he is a Bible believer
due to tradition and not due to rightly dividing the word of truth.
The religionist/nominalist begins this exchange with this statement:
So you say that the Godhead is Christ. How can
the Godhead be Christ when Christ is Jesus, being the Son of God and
only a part of the Godhead as the second person out of the three?
Okay, I'll answer your question if you answer
me this one: How can Christ have (be) the fulness of the
Godhead (as Col. 2:9 says) if he is only confined to one third of the
Godhead as the second person? You see
you have a real problem when you agree with Christendom's concept that
the
Godhead is a heavenly triangle/substance thing, made up of three
separate
people. According to you these three separate 'entities' dwelling as 'one' and 'the
same',
are 'one God', yet co-eternal
keeping
the same substance as each other (what ever that means), the same
equality, as well as keeping their eternal separate 'identities' as an
individual 'being' at the same time.
This does not sound very
respectful towards our
Lord!
Depends of which image or person you are really
serving and beholding.
Or whether the likes of James White's
book "The
Forgotten Trinity" causes you to puke or go all gogo gaga over.
The crux of the matter is ...
You say this person/entity is God (God
the Son), just like
the
first and other person/entity is also God (God the Father) and
the third
and equal
other person/entity is also God (God the Spirit), while at the
same
time they are all God combined as one. Meaning, it is
right both ways in saying God is one person or God is three persons.
Right!? Or even, "the three divine Persons" (look up "The
Forgotten Trinity").
As long as you don't say this Person is three Gods even though
this Person (the person of God) can also be three individual and
distinct persons. Moreover ... "the three divine Persons". Or broken
down:
One Person (God) is also three
(distinct and
different) persons (God)!
Or ...
The true and only one God can be either three
persons or one Person but
never three Gods ("three divine Persons" okay), even though each person
equates as God or the three
persons combined together, equates as God!
Yes! I know it is
complex and hard to grasp but this is a divine
mystery!
The only illustration and line fitting to me I
can think of at present
is in story "the Three Musketeers" ... "all for one and one for all!" Understanding, I am not trying to be flippant
towards the Lord God our Creator and Saviour in any way, but only false
doctrine!
Does this not mean there are
three Beings each with the title of God together, but never as the
title as
God as an individual ... even though they can each be called God as an
individual, somehow equating to God as three? Bearing in mind (and
this is the best illustration I can think of for logic sake) "the
Three Musketeers" were always three, but could never be solely one
individual person/personality together, even though they could function
as one together.
In other words, to spell it out in clearer
speech and to categorize
what you believe:
Each person in the Godhead can be titled God
... God the Father (the 1st
Person), God the Son (the 2nd other Person), and God the Holy Spirit
(the 3rd
other Person). That's 1+1+1 = THREE! Simple arithmetic ... yes! With
each
called God! Right?
However, though each separate person is titled
God they cannot be
termed THREE Gods for some reason! THREE divine Persons! Yes, but not
Gods! THREE persons (as God), THREE
entities (as God),
THREE beings (as God), THREE
individuals (as God), THREE distinct personalities (as God) ... yes! But
NEVER THREE
Gods!
Can you
work that one out?
No one can! The Trinity
can't be explained! As I say, the Godhead is a mystery!
Oh yeah! Your theology and tradition may
dictate this but it is
contrary to scripture nevertheless. This is what is written
...
Romans 1: 21-22:
"For the invisible things of him from the
creation of the world are clearly
seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his
eternal power and Godhead; so that they are
without
excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not
as
God".
You see, this verse claims "when they new God" (even his
eternal power and Godhead) "they glorified him not
as
God". The
Godhead got very distorted
somehow.
This is certainly not rocket
science, nor philological complexity, nor something that is hidden for
all time apart from the special, privileged, enlightened "initiated",
is it? Nor is it an open-ended God
with interpretation dependant on your
theology or tradition.
Furthermore, whattabout
this one; which wipes out your "unexplained"
theory in one fell sweep ... Eph. 3: 3-6:
"How that by revelation he made known
unto me the mystery;
(as
I wrote afore in few words, Whereby, when ye read, ye may
understand
my
knowledge in the mystery of Christ) Which in other ages was not
made
known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy
apostles and prophets by the Spirit".
Did you know the biblical phrase above "made
known" is mentioned 20
times
throughout the whole Bible? "Made known"! God will never do this
unless He reveals Himself
to
those who truly seek Him in all humility. A mystery in scripture is
only a mystery to the unbelieving world
(not puzzle or an unexplained phenomena like the Trinity
doctrine), but is revealed unto those in
Him
... 1 Cor. 10: 9-10:
"But as it is written, Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard,
neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him. But God hath revealed them
unto
us by his
Spirit: for the
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God."
This
means "the deep things of God" are not out
of our reach if we are
prepared to seek Him with our whole heart and give up our "justified"
theory, "approved" opinion or what the religious experts have convinced
us to believe because they would NEVER deceive us. No, the deep
things of God are not a
mystery once He reveals
them unto
us, His remnant, which He has promised to do. Revelation is the
name
of
the game! Not second-hand information or flogged tradition,
dressed up
to look Biblical coz
the "trusted" Reformers, "highly educated" or the religious mainstream
says it to be so.
Meaning, there is no puzzle or unexplained cryptic hidden meanings with
God. Only the mystery
hidden from fallen man throughout the ages, until the time was ready
for
God to make it known to those who would call out to Him, love Him, and
obey Him. Amos 3:7 does
not say this in vain ...
"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but
he revealeth his
secret unto his servants the
prophets."
If the Trinity is a secret or mystery that can
never be
explained as you and your cronies endorse, then it simply can never be revealed or made
known? I suggest you seek out the God who Daniel 2:47 says is "a
revealer of secrets".
I never said "can't be
revealed" but "can't be explained"! There is a
difference!
Then define it please?
Okay ... "Three separate
people all called God
individually, but never as three Gods, but God as one!"
This is double-de-dutch talk to me my friend!
Religious mumbo jumbo at best!
Two-forked-tongue stuff! Somehow we are NEVER to say They (the Three
divine Persons)
are three Gods
(as admitted by your peers and depicted in Christendom's art and
relics, never to be renounced by Evangelical Protestantism or the
"Christian" mainstream). Your
doctrine ... just say they are God when and only when, together,
functioning as this
so-called
Godhead, you also call the Trinity.
Here is another major problem which one can
never get his head around
if you are willing to question the unquestionable, and be labelled
"cultist" or "dissenter" or "division maker" and really rightly divide
the word (coz according to Christendom,
denying the Holy
Trinity is one
of the proofs you are a cultist).
That is, use scripture to measure and balance scripture ... not just
isolate one verse to prove a point.
What do you mean by that?
Okay, according to you (because of your
religious upbringing or indoctrination into a denomination) the Godhead
consists of three eternal, separate, yet equal and unwavering in
substance, co-beings inside an eternal triangle in heaven.
Right?
Urrrr ... Yes! Urrrr
... No, not really! The Godhead is the
correct term!
Okay
... here is the universal points of
belief when it comes to "the Holy Trinity" doctrine:
Co-eternal
Co-equal
Co-equal in substance
Co-inseparable
Does this line up with your belief system?
Of course!
Then you tell me 'the second part' of this
spiritual equilateral triangle
in heaven is sent to earth as the Son. Yes, He came as the Son! As
according to your teaching He is already a son (or
the Son) because you say He has already been a son, is a son, and will
always be a son ... the eternal Son of God. Therefore, if Jesus is
really the second
person, eternally as the Son (before being begotten or born a man) then
pray tell me,
how
can there still be three separate and equal
beings/persons/people/individuals, of equal eternal substance, when
there is now only two ... God the Father and God the Holy Spirit
residing in heaven; as
God
the Son has now become a manchild, who will soon mature past being a
manchild (the manchild) into a man? How can they be co-inseparable if
one calls out as a man dying nailed to a tree to His "Superior" in
Heaven, "My God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me," if this was true? Where can good'ole common
sense come out of
this?
Because Jesus is still in
the Godhead in Spirit!
You
mean there is now two Spirits making up God? ... Jesus the Spirit
as well as God the Holy Spirit?
No, they are one and the
same!
One
and the same eh! Can't be I'm afraid! As according to your
doctrine, they are two separate people (persons) and one of these
people
has just left heaven (His abiding place with the other two members of
the Godhead) and come to earth as a man. I think we both agree and
know very well that Jesus
is the eternal Word which become flesh (which I say still contradicts
the Trinity and does not mean Son). Therefore, how can this eternal
Son you
keep mentioning now be the same substance, equally and eternally as
the other two, if this substance has now become flesh and blood, having
left
heaven to
come to
earth, leaving this Godhead now only occupied with the other two divine beings (that's a Godhead of only Two now, by the way)? Remembering also, that as the Son He becomes cut off
and experiences a separation through death from the other two members
you insists exist. Meaning, there is only now two divine persons
living or existing.
The Son simply can't be of the same substance. He is executed as
a flesh and blood man and is now a temporary dead and cut off
substance. Bearing in mind He has been a flesh
and blood substance for 33 years prior, born of a woman and born of
sinful flesh, as the
scriptures say. The other two members of the so-called Godhead
have
never experienced this change or
temporary condition. Therefore, they simply can't be coequal eternally
in SUBSTANCE, can they? Especially when God the Father is
confined to
heaven and God the Holy Spirit (the third in rank in this so-called
Godhead) can come and go as the wind and be omnipresent, and God the
Son can come to earth being restricted as a man for 33 years, separated
from the Godhead and being temporally separated as "cut off out of the
land of the living" for three days and three nights. Meaning, if
the eternal Trinity does happen to exist, it ceased to exist for either
33 years at best, or three days at worst, cancelling out the Trinity
being eternal or always equally of the same substance. Just can't be!
They can be in Spirit!
As I said, they
simply can't be, as one has left His place in heaven, become lower
than the angels, and is made FLESH and BLOOD, not Spirit. If the
Spirit of God is a different person than Jesus, then Jesus is not the
same coequally and eternally in substance as the third member of this
Triune "Godhead" but a different individual on earth. Also, rank
or position of power (as second in charge or order) cancels out
equality in this case, does it not? What does
scripture say and how can you refute this?:
"That
which is born
of the
flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
There's
a major contradiction in your theology here,
as elsewhere as I
will explain! Besides, and while we have reached this point ... has
not this second
person you refer to, only now become a son, or the Son? Is not it a
principle in scripture that a son can only be a son after being
conceived? When did Jesus become a Son? It is clear from scripture
that there was a day when He did. This was prophesied
in the OT and
fulfilled in the NT, ruling out Jesus always being a Son and therefore
destroying the tradition that Jesus was a Son prior to being begotten,
conceived and born. Here's the OT prediction (meaning the Son was to
come, not always was) ... Psalms 2:7:
"I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto
me, Thou art my Son; this day have
I begotten thee."
"Thou art my Son; (because) this day have
I begotten thee"! As Jesus was begotten, no doubt on this day He become the Son.
Fulfilled in the NT ... Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5, as well as Hebrews
5:5
(three biblical witnesses/accounts confirming the truth):
"Thou art my Son, to day have
I begotten thee."
Why His Son? Because He was begotten on that
day! There had
to be a day. Followed by this statement which could now be made a
reality:
"I
will (future tense) be to him a Father,
and he shall (future tense) be to me a Son?"
This never happened before. Meaning, Jesus
could not have been a Son
to
the Father before, as God could not be called Father before. The NT
always spoke of "the promise of the Father". Why? Because God was never
a FATHER in the OT until the day He was begotten! You only become a father when you have a SON. Does this not cancel
out the so-called eternal
coexisting Sonship of the eternal Trinity, creating a huge flaw
in its theology, and therefore rendering the Trinity unbiblical and a
very subtle way to undermine the divinity of Jesus?
Not really! Okay, Jesus had to be born to
become a son. However, this does
not rule out Him also being the Son prior. Nor the Son eternally.
Being born on
earth only fulfils what He already was.
No
... can't! Because, according to your belief system He was only
second in rank as the Son under the Father! The order is, as your
theology goes ...
first, you have the Father (or "God the Father"). Then you have as
second
in order or command, called "God the Son" (where is this title found in
scripture?). Then thirdly, and lastly, you have "God the Holy Spirit"
(again, where is this title found in scripture?)! You can't have it
both ways! If Jesus was second to the Father, and the Holy Spirit
second to Jesus or third to the Father in rank, order and command
(whatever word you like to choose) then how can they ALL be coequally
one and the same eternally, and one and the same coequally in
substance? If Jesus become flesh by leaving heaven, going below the
angels
and was born of sinful man; how can he be the same coequally in
substance? That which is
born of the
flesh
is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit, is what the
word says. Flesh simply cannot be spirit. Therefore, the Son and the
Spirit, as two different people (as your tradition says) can never be
the same substance.
Secondly, if there had to be a day
before God
could say in regards to
Jesus (or else He would never have said this prophetically), "I will (future tense) be to him a Father,
and he shall (future tense) be to me a Son?"
This is because Jesus was not a Son before! The Word had not become
flesh!
He had not become the manchild until after being born as flesh and
blood. There is simply not a verse in the OT, outside the prophetic,
to
state or confirm Jesus (while in the Godhead in heaven before leaving
for earth) was the Son. The eternal Word? Yes! The eternal Son? No!
We can only call Him the Son as the only
begotten Son! Meaning, He had to be begotten and conceived first.
I'm sorry, you have not
convinced me one bit. If Jesus was not the Son
eternally then the majority of Christendom is wrong, as well as the
Reformers, and most of the respected and credentialed clergy around
today. How can you be right and so many people wrong? I will take
what you have said to my Pastor and get his opinion on what you have
shared with me. He is a man who has had years of experience in studies
in theology and sociology, bible college and ministry, as well as being
very
accustomed to the Hebrew and the Greek. Furthermore, he is a lot more
qualified than
you
when it comes to Bible history and references, as well as being skilled in
handling people and communicating sermons. Not to forget to mention
his impeccable character and outstanding integrity within the community in general. You say the
Godhead is
Jesus,
but you have never given reasons why.
"You
say the Godhead is Jesus but you have never given
reasons why."
Simple!!
Thanks for giving me the opportunity
to explain who the
Godhead is. First of all let me make myself clear ... the
Godhead has
got nothing to do with rank in the sense you convey. Meaning, it
is
not made up of separate deities (or divine Persons) with one person
being superior or above
the other, like the Father being God and being the first in command in
the Godhead, followed by Jesus (His Son) then the Holy Spirit.
However, it has
got everything to do with order ... Divine order! Remember,
God is a
God of order! Even this has been undermined by both the secular
and
religious world of late. Biblically we have parents (as one
flesh),
then children, then beasts (as in animals or the rest of
Creation). In
the family unit we have
the husband, then the wife, followed by the children. Not to
forget to
mention marriage ... just as man is the head of woman so Christ
is the
head of man. Do you not see the THREE divine witness (not
persons) principle come in here? As far as the true biblical
church ... we have the
church in
the home (Christ communing directly to the head of the home).
Then the
church in a
locality like a town or a city (governed by elders). Finally, the
church
universal ... the
complete Body of Christ around the world, with Christ as HEAD (the
Godhead)! Never a
human headship; nor ever a triune headship consisting of a three
prong/person Godhead.
Now when it comes to the Body of Christ, how
many heads does this Body
have (just as a family unit or a marriage )? As God is not a God of
confusion but order, we have one head of this Body. Who is the
head of
this church? Simple answer (as just mentioned) ... Christ! As the
word is plain and
clear ... Eph 5:23.
"For
the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the
head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body."
Okay, Christ is the head of the church but who
is the head of Christ? You may have dug a hole for yourself here. My turn
to give you a verse this time and blow your theory clean out the water ... 1
Cor. 11:3!:
"But I would have you know, that the head of every man
is Christ; and
the head of the woman is the man; and the head of
Christ is God."
So there! Christ is not the ultimate head! God is!
"Christ is not the ultimate
head?" Again you
are
not rightfully dividing the word of truth my friend! You are missing
the point of Christ Jesus and His divinity (which is nothing to do with
"three divine Persons"). Let me remind you of the
fundamental truth of Christianity, the Bible believing doctrine the
remnant faith is dependant upon. This is the divinity of our Lord
Jesus Christ
and the ultimate in revelation in a nutshell ...
Jesus being both God and man!!!
As you know (according to 1 John 4: 2-3), whatever spirit denies this
(that Jesus "is come in the flesh" - removed from modern bible versions
by the way) is not of God. It says nothing about denying the Trinity,
does it?
When
scripture speaks of there being one Saviour and "one God, and one
mediator between God and men", it is referring to "the man
Christ Jesus"! Yes, the man! The only perfect and completely
upright
man to have walked the earth who had been born of a woman. Yes, the
man Christ
Jesus! Moreover, when scripture speaks about "the head of Christ is
God" it is referring to God being the head of the man Christ
Jesus (our first "big" brother - the man from Galilee). Or
God being the head of Jesus as man! The man Christ Jesus!
However, Jesus is more than a
man isn't He, as we have just seen? Now take a look at this
passage of scripture ... we are rightly dividing now, not just quoting
a verse in isolation as Satan did with the man Jesus of Nazareth, when
He was tempted as a man in
the
wilderness. Here we go ... Colossians One again! Where do we begin?
Let's take verse 14 down to 18:
"In whom
we have redemption
through his blood (Jesus), even the
forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: For by him (Jesus) were all
things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or
powers: all things were created by him (Jesus),
and for him (Jesus):
And he (Jesus) is before all
things, and
by him (Jesus) all things consist. And he (Jesus)
is the head of the
body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead;
that in all things he (Jesus) might have the preeminence."
Do you get
that! It is He who
has the pre-eminence? Who is He? Is it
the
Father? No! Is it the Holy Ghost? No! Is it Jesus? Yes! Which "is
the head of all principality and power"! How
many heads does God have? Is it one or does He have multi heads?
Scripture says one
head! The religious world presents many gods ... many heads!
Christendom presents a multi Godhead ... a Trinity of three heads!
Don't believe me then look at Christendom's artwork, images and
even some of its hymns. Now read this verse ... Acts 17:29:
"Forasmuch
then as we are the
offspring of God, we ought not to think
that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver,
or
stone, graven by
art and man's device."
You know
what this means? It
means man has his own interpretation of
the Godhead (a figment of his own imagination that is) while God
reveals
His.
This is the one God with one head; not a monster or beast with double,
triple
or multiple heads. Scripture says God has an arm, a face, and a head,
does it not?
God is one, with one head and one body (His church)!
Ecumenicalism portrays the body with many heads (over churches and
movements - as many voices and faces, but
ending up in the same place, somehow). No, the Body has
only one head ... Christ! Or only one Potentate (one
sovereign monarch and ruler) ... Christ! Therefore, when the remnant agree with
God and go against popular belief and say there is only 'one way', they
are now branded as extremists. When God's people stress 'the way is
narrow' it is
frowned
upon. Or when they state 'there is one mediator between God and men',
it is ignored.
Or when a believer is emphatic that God is indeed "one God" or "God is
one" or "God alone", he is branded a "cultist", or a "Oneness" heretic, or a "Jesus
Only"
apostate, or a "Branhamite", or a misguided "United Pentecostal", and
so
on.
Whatever
name tag or brand is
invented for the Bible believer (I only belong to Jesus), the fact
of the matter is, Jesus is
the ONE door to enter, the ONE table to eat from, and ONE head to come
under. Christ is that head! The head of God! Or in other words ...
the
Godhead!
Then if
what you say is true would it not also mean Jesus is the
Father a well as being the Holy Spirit?
Answer me
please! Do you
believe Jesus is God?
Yes, Jesus
as the Word was and is
God!
Okay, you
admit Jesus is God.
Then who is the image of God?
Unequivocally ... It's
Jesus! ... 2 Cor. 4:4, Col
1:15, Heb 1:3! Remember, God will not tolerate any other image outside
of Himself (Deut. 16:22).
Who is the shape
of God?
It's
Jesus! ... John 5:37
(which you can't see unless God reveals).
Who is the hand
of God?
It's
Jesus! ... Is. 59:1 (there
is only one Saviour isn't there?).
Who is the arm of
God?
It's Jesus
... Is. 40:11 (there
is only one Shepherd isn't there?).
Who is the voice
of
God?
It's Jesus
... Deut 4:33. John
5:37 (who only those with ears will hear). Furthermore, ever heard of a
voice without a mouth?
Okay, who is he mouth of God?
It's Jesus ... Matt. 4:4! (He is the Word as already covered). Furthermore, ever heard of a
mouth without a face?
Okay, Who is the face
of God?
It's Jesus! ...
Ps 34:16 (remember God was not referred to as Father or Son at this
stage). Matt. 18:10 (the Father), 2 Cor. 4:6 (the face of Jesus
Christ). God
is not two faced is He? He would be if He had more than
one head. Have you ever heard of a face without a head?
Okay, lastly, who is the head
of God?
Understand
this please ... God does not have anyone over Him as head. He is indeed head, period!
Moreover,
Isaiah (9:6) prophesied of this Mighty God we serve, to be Jesus ...
"For unto us a child is born" ... "and his name (the child's name)
shall be called" ... "The mighty God, The everlasting Father"! Yes,
one Father! One God! One head!
Therefore,
as God only has one
head this concludes Jesus is that Godhead ... "For in him (Jesus) dwelleth all
the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
Which is
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit ... THREE different persons!
No, THREE different Beings do not dwell in
Jesus! Jesus is not possessed by two other people other than Himself, is He?
Moreover, neither does His followers have THREE different Beings living
in them! Do you have THREE different people in you? Or is it as
scripture says ... "Christ in you (one person), the hope of
glory"?
No ... THREE different WITNESSES (not people) is the
correct
interpretation as mentioned earlier! But the same Lord nevertheless!
To the only wise God
our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Deut. 16:22. "Neither shalt thou set thee up any
image; which the LORD thy God hateth."
Acts 17:29. "Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought
not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold,
or silver, or stone, graven by art (see Christendom's
depiction's) and man's device
(liturgy, dogma, creed, articles of faith, religion, ritual, theology,
philosophy, imagery, icons, tradition).
The Whole Trinity Series:
Introduction to the
Three Divine Persons
The Threefold Witness of Jesus
The Eternal Word and the Begotten Son
Jesus - God and Man
The Traditional Trinity - vs - The Biblical Godhead
The LORD and the Lord
"Behold the Man" - The Fulness of God
The Satanic Trinity in Progress
Another Pilgrim - Without the Camp
Jesus