Equality within the Godhead?

Trinitarians often cite Philippians 2:5-6 to prove Christ’s equality with the Father. This verse states, “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.” Yet, we find elsewhere that Christ expressed that “My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28).

How are these two verses reconciled? If the Father is greater than Christ, how could they be equal—how could they be one?

The statement of Christ being equal to God is understood by looking at an analogy. Consider. A small child has equal rights under the law, as an adult. The baby is on the human level and equal in this respect, but as far as ability and experience the baby is not comparable to a responsible adult. Thus, Philippians 2:5-6 shows that Christ was on the same level as the Father (“in the form of God”) in the sense of existing as a God Being, but certainly not on the same level as being the All-Supreme Father whom Christ acknowledged as being greater than Himself. Christ further acknowledged that “My Father…is greater than all…” (John 10:29)—of course, then, including Himself.

We have seen that Scripture does not present the Father and Christ as being equal. But what about the Holy Spirit? The trinity doctrine places the Holy Spirit on an equal level with the Father and Christ. Again, is this what the Bible teaches?

The following scriptures reveal a giant discrepancy with the false idea that the Holy Spirit is an equal member of the Godhead. First, consider John 13:16: “Truly, truly, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither He that is sent greater than He that sent Him.” This means that Christ is not greater than the Father. But now, consider Psalm 104:30: “You send forth Your spirit, they are created: and You renew the face of the earth.” Christ, by the instruction of the Father, sent forth the Spirit to renew the Earth. Combining this with John 13:16, it is clear that the Holy Spirit is not equal to God! The next chapter will cover this in much greater detail.

Why Judaism Maintained Monotheism

It is significant to note that “orthodox” Christianity rejected nearly every aspect of Judaism except the premise concerning monotheism. It served the purpose of established Christianity to adopt monotheism, since the concept of one God moulded perfectly into their theory of the trinity. Why did Judaism and Trinitarianism adopt monotheism?

Advocates of the trinity turn to Deuteronomy 6:4, referenced earlier, where you find what is generally referred to as the “Shama.” They insist that this verse refers to the nature of God, claiming that it is emphatic about God being one personage or being. Traditionally and historically, this verse has been the definitive statement of the Hebrew concept of monotheism. Therefore, it is vital that we examine it in detail for what it does and does not say. Let’s see if assumptions have been made.

This crucial verse reads, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” A casual reading of this passage appears to emphasize that the Godhead consists of only one Being. However, is this really what it says?

The Hebrew terms from which this verse is translated are written below with the English translation below each Hebrew term. This literal translation will be helpful to bear in mind as we carefully examine each word:

Shama, yisrial Yahweh Elohim Yahweh echad.

Hear, O Israel [The] Lord God [is] Lord alone.

We will briefly discuss two of these Hebrew terms and how they are translated elsewhere in the Bible. The reader will be surprised at what this phrase really means and how it does, in the end, actually refer to the trinity—but not in a way that any trinitarian would expect or want to accept.