Scriptures Reveal Duality

Next Part Equality within the Godhead?

In order to better grasp the big picture, we must consider a number of other references in the Scriptures concerning God. We discovered that neither the Old Testament nor the New Testament endorses the concept of a trinity, as many have assumed. Certain scriptures that we will examine have been mentioned before, but it is important to revisit them when asking the question, “Is God One?” Recognize that this is necessary repetition in order to bring out other points in the passage related to this question.

First, in John 10:30, recall that Christ stated, “I and My Father are one.” Trinitarians insist this statement confirms the belief that the Father and Son (with the Holy Spirit) constitute a common person or hypostasis. But the question must be asked: How does Christ explain that He and the Father are one? Does He indicate precisely how they are one by an understandable analogy or does he use philosophical jargon to portray some mystical, abstract concept?

We find that Christ does portray how He and the Father are one in a clear and understandable way. The answer is found in John 17:22: “And the glory which You gave Me I have given them; that they [His followers] may be one, even as we are one.” In this scripture, Christ is seen to be one with God in the same way that the disciples (and the Church of God through the ages) were one—were unified! A few verses earlier in John 17:11, we found a similar expression pertaining to those called of God “…that they may be one as we are.”

Consider again. Are these brethren bonded—welded—together into a common person or hypostasis? Obviously not! They are bonded together in the same mindset under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. In this sense, they are “one” just as the Father and Christ are “one.” Confusion and mystery enter the picture when the definitions are supplied by philosophy—human reasoning—rather than what is clearly written in Scripture.

Two Separate Beings

Earlier, we referred to the conversation between two God Beings who comprise Elohim as recorded in Genesis 1:26. In Genesis 3:22, we find these two members of the God Family conversing again: “…Behold, the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil…” Also notice Genesis 11:6-7: “And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let Us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” Again, we could ask: Is God schizophrenic?—Is He talking to Himself?

We find the Logos (the Word – John 1:1) and the Father—two separate God Beings—conversing throughout the Scriptures. However, other than these recorded conversations, the existence of the other God Being (the Father) was not revealed to Israel, or to mankind in general, until Christ revealed Him during His ministry. Even in this case, the essential revelation only applied to those called of God (see Luke 10:22 “…and he to whom the Son will reveal Him”). We will discuss this in greater detail at the end of this chapter.

Also note Psalm 110:1: “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit You at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool.” Here, David refers to a greater Being (the Father—“The Lord”) speaking to David’s Lord (the God of the Old Testament—“my Lord”). In almost every case in the Old Testament, “Lord” referred to Christ, who was the God of the Old Testament (I Cor. 10:1-4). But in this case, it referred to someone of greater supremacy.

Further notice Daniel 7:13: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him.” We find here that the “Son of Man” (Christ) approached the “Ancient of Days” (the Father). Christ was not approaching Himself. What is described here is Jesus Christ being “coronated” and given dominion and power over the nations of earth. This is a prophecy that is to be fulfilled in the near future.

It should be noted here that advocates of the trinity often present conditions, constraints and theoretical parameters established by philosophy. Esoteric arguments exist that a dual Godhead would be severely limited because one deity would have to yield His space and power to another, thus resulting in both becoming supposedly finite, as the argument concludes, whereas a single being would be infinite in space and power. This theory goes on to declare that God cannot be limited or confined to any space, no matter how big—meaning that His boundaries must be the universe and beyond, in other words, wherever space exists. Otherwise, the thought is that He would be seen to have “shape” and would therefore be “composed,” and thus made of something—impossible for spirit.

According to this thinking, there could, therefore, be no more than one infinite being! To have two or more infinite Beings would have them passing through each other—something that is also deemed to be impossible. In reality, all of this is nothing more than pure Greek philosophy set to theology. Somewhere in here the simplicity in Christ disappeared. Again, if you are confused, that is good.

First, remember that such ideas do not originate from Scripture. Second, these ideas derive solely from human reasoning, specifically, again, from the mind of philosophers who are trying to understand the spirit world when it has not been revealed to them.

The truth is that the Godhead is not constrained by, or subject to, such abstract human reasoning.

(For all those who cleave to the idea that God is a kind of amorphous blob permeating all space in and out of the universe, Chapter Nine will prove beyond a shadow of a doubt from Scripture that God is not without explicit shape and form.)