Rodney L. Smith
Over and over the holy Scriptures consistently proclaim that God is one. This “one” is repeatedly defined as representing a singular being. Remember that three personalities would be the same as three beings. The Doctrine of the Trinity defines its “triune god” as “three co-equal, co-eternal persons existing in one God.” I say, “What? A God with multiple personalities?” What is this trying to say? This statement would mean that each divine person is God in His own right, each one is equal to the others, and each one is eternal or infinite having no beginning and no end. Is this the God of the Bible? Genesis 1 starts out,
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The
earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of
the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters.” (Gen. 1:1-2)
This specifically identifies God as the creator. Now this will be kind of confusing. For the most part Trinitarians would say that when the Bible refers to “God” it’s talking about the Father. Jesus Christ is used to refer to the Son, and any mention of God’s spirit is supposedly the “Third Person.” Alright, the Bible refers to the creator as “God” right? The New Testament clearly teaches that Jesus Christ created all things. John 1:1-4 says,
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
If someone who believes in the trinity reads this how would he or she envision the Creator? You have God the Father creating everything and Jesus right there with Him doing all the work like a supervisor/ employee type relationship. God is creating everything by employing His Son to do the creating. Perhaps you’ve imagined this b4. I know I have. This is an example of one of the many boxes man tries to put God into. This scenario makes sense to us because that’s the way we work here on earth. But is that the way God works? Trinitarians actually go one step further to say that Jesus employs the Holy Spirit to create everything, but, for the sake of time and space, I won’t get into that just yet. Remember how I said this was going to be confusing? Well, Gen 1:1 says that God created everything, as does Exodus 20:11, and Trinitarians say that’s the Father. Then, in John 1:3 we discover that Jesus really created everything. Colossians 1:16, speaking of Jesus Christ, says,
“For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
So all things were made by Jesus, through Jesus, and for Jesus. BTW, if all things were made “for” Him that would make Him THE Lord, since the word ‘lord’ means ‘owner.’ I’m sure you’re familiar with all of the times the Bible refers to JEHOVAH, or YAHVEH in Hebrew as the Lord and also Jesus Christ as the Lord. Notice it doesn’t say “Lords” or simply “a Lord” but “THE Lord.” Meaning there can only be one Lord. (See Deuteronomy 6:4 and Ephesians 4:5.) However, I’m just going to stick to the topic of Jesus as the Creator for the time being. There are sooo many other points I could get off on.
Okay, please notice how God made everything and Jesus made everything. Now instead of concluding that Jesus is the same as God, which is what the Bible teaches anyway as we’ll see, Trinitarians conclude that Jesus was right there along side God the Father as “they” created everything. See how that’s confusing? God created everything. Jesus created everything. Even the Holy Spirit created everything. So “they” created everything. First of all, I’m offended by this and I believe God is too. God is never a “THEY.” Alright, let’s see what God has to say about when He created the world. In Isaiah 44:24 the Lord or YAHVEH as it says in the Hebrew, that’s Jehovah (anytime you see all capital LORD or GOD in the Old Testament it’s where the substituted either of those titles for the Hebrew letters YHVH or YaHVeH which is translated into English most commonly as JeHoVaH, God’s name. I don’t know if you knew that.) He says in Isaiah 44:24,
“Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, And He who formed you from
the womb: ‘I am the Lord, who makes all things, Who stretches out the heavens all alone, Who spreads abroad the earth by Myself;'”
Isaiah says of God in chapter 37 verse 16,
“O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, the One who dwells between the
cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”
So if the Bible is teaching that Jehovah is the Creator and that Jesus is the Creator, if the Bible is in agreement with itself as one basic theme of truth, then Jesus must be Jehovah. The Bible teaches this as well. Check out these Scriptures:
Exodus 3:14: “And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He
said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me
to you.’ “
John 8:58: Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you,
before Abraham was, I AM.”
Check this out. In the Old Testament God constantly reminded Israel how He had delivered them out of the land of Egypt. In a prophesy to Israel God, through Isaiah says,
“Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the
Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God. And who can proclaim as I do? Then let him declare it and set it in order for Me, since I appointed the ancient people. And the things that are coming and shall come, let them show these to them.
Do not fear, nor be afraid; Have I not told you from that time, and
declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.’ ” (Isaiah 44:6-8)
Now Paul gives us some more insight on how God was with Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. In 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Paul writes,
“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how
that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the
sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Here Paul tells us that Israel’s “Rock” was Jesus Christ, and in Isaiah Jehovah Himself speaking through His prophet reminds Israel that He is there only “Rock.” He even goes so far to say that He doesn’t know of any other “Rock” besides Himself- Jehovah. Since God knows all things and cannot lie, then if there were two (or three) “Rocks,” yet one God, He would’ve told us right here, but instead He says, “Besides Me there is no God,” and
“Indeed there is no other Rock; I know not one.”
Notice also in verse 6 Jehovah starts off by saying, “I am the first and the Last.” Who is it in the opening chapter of Revelation who says that He is the, “Alpha and Omega, the first and the last,” (verse 8) and also,
“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”
(verse 11)
That’s Jesus talking. Notice again He says in verses 17 and 18,
“Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”
So we see that Jesus is “the first and the last not, as the Trinity Doctrine puts Him, “the second person.” The very nature and definition of God is to be supreme, all powerful, almighty, all knowing, and omnipotent. By divine definition there can be only one being or entity Who had “all power.” There can only be one Almighty. Why? Because if two or three persons, beings, or entities (<-same thing) equally shared all power and might then neither being would be all powerful or almighty because He shares all power with the other person(s). Therefore if you have three persons co-equal and co-powerful then each person can only possess one third of all power, knowledge, and might, ect. This doctrine belittles God in my humble opinion because the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. God is 100% all-powerful, and He is the Almighty. Jesus is 100% God. He is the Almighty. He is Jehovah. If you can’t tell that it’s the same God talking in the Old Testament Scriptures above as in the quotes of Jesus talking then read over them again. You can tell. It’s the same personality. It’s the same God. And no wonder, my Bible NEVER says that there is one God eternally co-existing in three persons, but in Colossians 2:9 Paul writes this about the Lord Jesus,
“For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
All the fullness of the Godhead (or Godhood, the state of being God), Father, Son and Holy Spirit dwells in one person- Jesus Christ. Before Jesus Christ was born God was not a person at all but one eternal, immortal, invisible, all powerful Spirit. He made a man to indwell with all of His fullness, not a sinful man born according to the flesh, but God Himself created a human being in the womb of a virgin; and that person was God Himself. Did you read Isaiah 9:6?
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting FATHER, The Prince of Peace.” (emphasis added)
Jesus is the Almighty, the Creator, the great I AM, the First and Last, the only Rock, the Mighty God, the eternal Father, the Godhead- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Jesus is God.
Okay, I’m almost finished. You mentioned about how Jesus in His humanity prayed to God. I would go so far to say that He needed to pray just as much as He needed to eat, drink, or sleep. Does this mean that He is not God since God doesn’t need to do any of these things? Well, to quote the apostle Paul, “Certainly not!” Let’s check out
Philippians 2:5-11.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being
in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be EQUAL with God: But MADE HIMSELF of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in appearance as a Man, he humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (emphasis added)
Who can be equal with God but God Himself? No one is God’s equal. There is no one like Him. Here we see that the Man Christ Jesus is God’s “EQUAL.” To put it in mathematical terms Jesus Christ equals God. However, Jesus made HIMSELF a servant of no reputation- a man.
Let’s look at just one of the many instances where Jesus Christ is praying to the Father. In John chapter 17 starting in verse 3 Jesus prays,
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
Here Jesus says that His Father is the “ONLY TRUE GOD.” Not only does He say that but also that true eternal life is “the only true God and Jesus Christ.” Remember John 1:4? “In Him (that is Jesus) was life, and the life was the light of men.” Let’s keep reading in John 17.
“I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which
You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (verses 4-5)
Remember how Jesus “humbled Himself” and made Himself a man though He was is “equal with God.” In verse 5 it’s evident that Jesus knows that He is equal with God and all of God’s glory belongs to Him even though He, at that time, was on earth in human form. This shouldn’t be hard to understand, since thus far we’ve seen that Jesus is God and all of God’s glory and fullness dwells in Him bodily. He is the embodiment of God, “the image of the invisible God.” (Colossians 1:15). There was a voluntary separation He made in order to save us when He left His glory, power, and dominion and came to earth as a man, a poor man not a wealthy king but as a child born in a stable. He was born in a “barn,” or more accurately a stable. Someone had to change His diapers. He had to learn, grow, love, cry, eat, drink, sleep, feel pain, and be tempted. He chose this because He loves us so much. We ran away from Him and hid ourselves from Him in this world, but He came running after us.
This same theme is consistent throughout all of Scripture. God is one; there is no one like Him; there is none besides Him; He is eternal life; He is love; He’s wonderful, holy, Almighty, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-seeing, compassionate, merciful, forgiving; He’s the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, and Jesus is His name.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘ALL AUTHORITY
has been given to ME in heaven and on earth.'” (Matthew 28:18)
And we’ve only scratched the surface of who He really is.
In the Light 