JRM Sison Chapter - Teachings

Introduction

          Belief in God or a god is very common to all people. Even an atheist believes in a certain god. How do I know? Anything or anyone that is important to you and treasures it more than life itself is a god that you recognize. Thus, even if a person accepted Christ but treasured something or someone else more than Him, that person is not a believer of God but a believer of that something or someone.

          Going back to God, how do we know that there is a tri-une God? Some religious sect believes in God the Father only and disregards the deity of Jesus Christ. Some sect are called the “Jesus Only” ministry; concentrating on Jesus alone, forgetting the Father. Some sect believes that the Holy Spirit is not God. So, what to do?

          Let’s consider a scenario before we continue: an atheist walks in, looking for a debate, and asks you, “If you believe in God, describe to me who or what he is?” What will you do? Will you try to describe God? Many people are trying to describe who is God; what is His very nature. But the thing here is, God is indescribable. To attempt to describe Him fully is an attempt to limit Him. I’ll give you an example: Describe to me a TV set. To some people (especially those living in the remote areas) they don’t know how to describe it; to describe it, they need to see it, feel it and experience it. After a period of time, they began to understand what a TV set is. Then, after experiencing the TV set for quite some time, they can describe its full characteristic and functions. Question here is; what other uses are there for that TV set aside from the description? The answer is quite simple, once described in its fullness it is already limited. A thing or a person that can be described and/or predicted is already limited. There is nothing else that could be done; making it predictable and boring; the same thing with God. God can never be fully described. Describing God fully limits Him. God that can be described and/or predicted is not God. God’s nature is to be indescribable, unfathomable; that is the depth of God’s character.

          In our church, we believe in the tri-unity of God. But how do we defend it? How could we say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one? What Scripture contain the word ‘Trinity’?

The Tri-unity of God

          Genesis 1:1 states, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” The Hebrew word for God is Elohim. In its strictest sense, Elohim’s form is plural. Thus, Gen. 1:1 describes God as not only one. Don’t confuse yourself that historic Hebrew is polytheistic (having many gods). They are traditionally and strictly monotheistic (having one God). Thus, Elohim contains more than one God. But this verse alone could not explain the tri-une characteristic of God. There should be more.

          In Deuteronomy 6:4, it is written “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord”. Two names of God were used; Lord (Yahweh) and God (Elohim). Yahweh is the personal name of God. The characteristic of the Old Testament is “its insistence on the possible knowledge of God as a person; and Yahweh is His name as a person”(1). Thus, as it is His personal name, it is considered to be one person, one God. But Deuteronomy 6:4 described Yahweh and Elohim as one and the same Yahweh. The verse made the plurality of God part of the singularity of God. But still, this verse is not enough. We need more to describe God’s tri-une characteristic.

          Before going any further, is there a word ‘Trinity’ in the Bible? There is not one written word. But the meaning of Trinity is written all over the Bible.

          In John 1:1, it is written “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. The Word (in Greek, ho Logos) represents Jesus. God (Theos in Greek) is the New Testament equivalent of Elohim. Thus, Jesus is part of the plurality of God (in Elohim) and the singularity of God (in Yahweh) as it is written in Mark 12:29 (compare with Deuteronomy 6:4). If we try to analyze John 1:1, Jesus was in the beginning (also in verse 2). What beginning? The beginning of creation as it is written in the book of Genesis. Thus, Genesis 1:1 bears the truth of the plurality of God (Elohim); the Son was with the Father and the Father with the Son. Nothing was ever made without Him for all things were made by Him (verse 3). The role of Jesus Christ in the creation is not only a supporting cast but part of the major role because without Him nothing was ever made.

          In John 10:30, it is written, “I and My Father are one”. The unity of Jesus with God is clearly evident. They are one and the same. Furthermore, in verse 38, Jesus said that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father, making them both as one.

          Okay, so we established God and Jesus. How about the Holy Spirit?

          In Acts 5:3-4, it is written, “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.” It clearly states the oneness of the Holy Ghost with God. Peter told Ananias, that he lied to the Holy Ghost and repeated that accusation describing the Holy Ghost as God. John 15:26 further states that the Comforter, even the Spirit of truth, proceedeth out of the Father. In 1 Cor 2:11, it is written, “For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God”. Who can know your thoughts except you alone? Even the thoughts of God; who can know it but Him alone. Thus the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) is one with God; establishing the deeper truth of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ when He commissioned His disciples in Matt 28:19, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

The Godhead

          The word Godhead can only be found in the King James Bible and it only occurred 3 times. (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. Romans 1:20 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. Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.)

          What does Godhead means? Oddly enough, Godhead, in the 3 different verses, has 3 different Greek word translations; theion, theiotes, theotes.

          Theion (occurred in Acts 17:29) and theiotes (occurred in Romans 1:20) describes God’s Divinity or simply “the Deity”. It was used to separate the Deity apart from other gods. Thus, theion and theiotes describes God as a Divine Being. Now, Colossians 2:9 describes Jesus Christ having the fullness of the Godhead (theotes); aking Jesus Christ ‘the Deity’ or ‘Divine Being’.

          1.   The Father is called God--
                Romans 15:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
          2.   Jesus is called God
                And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. 1 Timothy 3:16
                Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he [God] saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Colossians 2:9 For in him [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
          3.   The Holy Ghost is called God--
                Acts 5:3-4 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? ...thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Conclusion:

          The matter of the Trinity is important. It is where our faith lies for without it we doubt one with the other, believe one more than the other. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one. As it is written in 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one.”

          Thus, we part with the words of Paul in 2 Timothy 2:15 “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

1 (from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia,
    Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)
2 Article by Tracy entitle “Some Say God Is Not Trinity”