| Christian Life and Doctrine | November 1979 |
The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
“The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.” —Mark 12:29
AMONG the peoples of earth there are many concepts of God. We feel much as the Apostle Paul must have felt as he was being escorted through the marketplace to Mars’ hill to be heard of the philosophers. In the marketplace he saw idols erected to many gods; and finally, as if to be certain that none were overlooked, they had erected one to the Unknown God. It was concerning this god, whom Paul identified for them as the unknown God of the Bible, that the apostle expounded his wonderful sermon to the Athenians.
The true God of the Bible was not known in Paul’s day, nor is he known in ours except to the believers. God has permitted Satan, the god of this world, to blind the eyes of the people. (II Cor. 4:4) One of the ways that Satan has employed to blind the eyes of the people is through the precepts of men.—Isa. 29:13; Rom. 10:2,3
The concept of the trinity is one of these man-devised doctrines. Historically, the idea had its beginning about the start of the fourth century, and Conant’s Religious Dictionary, page 944, states: “It was not until the beginning of the fourth century that the trinitarian view began to be elaborated and formulated into a doctrine and an endeavor made to reconcile it with the belief of the church in one God. Out of the attempt to solve this problem sprang the doctrine of the trinity. It is a very marked feature in Hinduism and in Persian, Egyptian, Roman, Japanese, and most Grecian mythologies.”
Constantine, who was emperor of Rome at the beginning of the fourth century, was tireless in promoting what he thought to be the reforms demanded by the times. The principal thing that he thought necessary to the stability of the empire was to unite all the various Christian factions and those who held to pagan beliefs under one set of dogmas. This, he thought, would give strength and singleness of purpose to his reign. Under pressure to unite, the various divisions became farther fragmented, and the bishops and leaders appealed to Constantine to intervene.
He did intervene by establishing the council at Nicaea in A.D. 325. Constantine himself, supported by a body of soldiers, presided over the deliberations. He heard the testimony of the various priests and bishops as to the traditional beliefs which they had received and taught. He rendered judgment on the questions at issue between the conflicting parties, and a standard of orthodoxy was established for the future government of the Christian world! Included was the doctrine of the trinity, although at the time very little was said of the Holy Spirit.* It became more clearly defined as part of a triune god in the years immediately following.
*Ridpath, “History of the World,” vol. 3, p. 33; Mosheim’s History of Christianity, vol. 2; Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 22, p. 479.
So much for the very brief historical background of the doctrine of the trinity. The doctrine does not come to us with very impressive credentials, especially to the historian who is acquainted with the morals and life of Constantine, even though he professed to be a Christian.
The doctrine of the trinity can be best expressed in the words: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet they are not three Gods, but one God. It is not our purpose here to examine the various arguments that purport to support this ambiguous and irrational doctrine, but rather, we will simply quote several scriptures that will show that the Bible does not teach a triune god. And after all, the Bible should be our only authority.
Jesus stated: “My Father is greater than I.” “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge.” “My Father … is greater than all.” “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” “I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 14:28; 5:30; 10:29; 17:3; 20:17) And as he grew to manhood, he grew “in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52) “Sown in dishonor,” he was “raised in glory”; “sown in weakness,” he was “raised in power”; “sown a natural body,” he was “raised a spiritual body.”—I Cor. 15:43,44
In John 17:11 our Lord states: “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” Does this mean that the apostles were to become a part of a triune god? It should be obvious to all that the unity referred to is that of mind, purpose, and activity.
These are the words of Jesus: “Not my will, but thine be done.” “I came not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” “Lo, I come; I delight to do thy will, O my God!” The followers of Jesus become one in mind and purpose by each giving up his own will to do God’s will, even as did Jesus.
We have learned that Jehovah is a God of love. The very familiar text of John 3:16,17 states that “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” It is as we learn how God is bringing about the salvation of the world that we begin to understand the magnitude of his mercy and love. This is revealed in his divine plan of the ages.
In Titus 3:4 the Apostle Paul refers to Jehovah as our Savior. This is true in the sense that the plan and the arrangements were all made possible by him. In the sixth verse of this chapter Jesus is called our Savior; and this is also true, because Jesus was willing to die for us, being obedient to the Heavenly Father’s will. This illustrates the basic principle underlying the relationship between Jehovah and his Son, Jesus—that all things are of the Father and by the Son.
The name Jehovah means self-existent one, or eternal one (Strong’s Concordance). In the Bible it is applied only to the Creator, the first cause of all things. The psalmist states, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” (Ps. 90:2) Jehovah is not a created being but the Creator of all things. The name of Jehovah is never applied to Jesus.
There are several words that are translated Lord and God in the Old Testament. Three of these words are adon, adonai, and elohim. Adon is most frequently applied to the great of the earth. Adonai is always applied to deity but not always to Jehovah. When it is applied to Jehovah, it is always preceded by the, for example, The Adonai. The word elohim has a variety of applications, including Jehovah, Christ, and by way of deference, magistrates, angels, and even false gods. But in instances where the word is applied to Jehovah, it is preceded by the, for example, The Elohim. In our King James Bible the English translation is LORD in capital letters.
In John 1:1 we have a scripture that describes the real relationship which exists between God the Father and the Son. The text reads, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” First, it is well to know the time period to which “the beginning” refers.
We believe the apostle is here making an evident allusion to the first words of Genesis. But in this instance he is not limiting the meaning of the phrase to a point in time—the beginning of creation—but to the absolute preexistence before any of the great works of creating the heaven lies was done. This thought is verified in verse 3, which reads, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
Jesus, in John 8:58, stated, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” This statement obviously places the “beginning” referred to in John 1:1 before the Christian era and gives logic to the conclusion that it was the very beginning, as stated by the Revelator that He was “the beginning of the creation of God.”—Rev. 3:14
In Proverbs 8:22-31 there is a remarkable confirmation of the beginning of the Logos. The text reads: “The Lord created Me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the sons of men.” (RSV)
The word “possessed” found in verse 22 of the King James version is the Hebrew word qanah, which is a prime root and means to erect, or create, and should have been so translated. This is supported by both the Aramaic and the Syriac translations. Jehovah is from everlasting to everlasting. He had no beginning, nor does he have an ending. (Ps. 41:13; 90:2; 106:48) But Jehovah’s work had a beginning, and that was the creation of the great and powerful spirit being whom he called the Logos. The Apostle Paul stated he is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: for by him 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, and for him.” (Col. 1:15-17) In harmony with this text are our Lord’s own words, referring to himself as “the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” —Rev. 3:14
So the beginning referred to in John 1:1 is the very beginning, before anything else existed except Jehovah; and it was then that the Word was created.
The literal translation of the Greek in John 1:1 readily reveals the true identity of the Logos. The Greek article ho (the) precedes the first word “God” in this verse, thus the word “God” is shown to mean God the Father. The Greek article ho (the) does not precede the second word “God,” showing that the second word does not mean Jehovah. The article does precede the word “God” in the second verse. The entire text, then, reads as follows: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with (ho theos) the God, and the Word was (theos) a God. The same was in the beginning with (ho theos) the God.”—John 1:1, 2
It becomes perfectly clear that the Apostle John simply wanted to indicate that the Logos was a great spirit being, that in fact he was a God—a mighty one—whom the Scriptures indicate to be the “Arm of Jehovah” in the accomplishment of all his mighty works.—Ps. 98:1; Isa. 40:10; 52:10; Ps. 110
We would like to consider one final scripture that shows the relationship between Father and Son—Philippians 2:5-9: “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” (vs. 6) The word “form” is a translation of the Greek word morphe, which means outward shape and includes all the qualities that can be made visible to the eye. So Jesus, in his prehuman existence, looked like Jehovah in that they were both spirit beings. But inwardly they were much different. For one thing, Jehovah possessed immortality and the Logos did not.—I Tim. 6:16
“Thought it not robbery to be equal with God” as rendered in the King James Version is a poor translation. The margin suggests “counted not equality with God a thing to be grasped at.” In other words, what the Apostle Paul is saying is that even though the Logos was a great and powerful spirit being, having the outward appearance of Jehovah himself, he was humble. He recognized Jehovah as his superior and creator. He loved and admired Jehovah and was an obedient Son.
This attitude is in contrast to that of another great spirit being, Lucifer. And we believe that the apostle had this in mind when extolling the humble character of the Logos. In Isaiah 14:11-19 we have the account of Satan with his pride and ambition. In verses 13,14 we read: “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: … I will be like the Most High.” Satan did meditate a usurpation of power and glory and position. And because of this he will eventually be destroyed in second death.
But in contrast, because of his obedience, the Logos, who became Jesus, was highly exalted and given a name which is above every name. Jesus demonstrated not only his humility but also his obedience by his willingness to be made in the likeness of men for the purpose of taking Adam’s place in death so that mankind might have an opportunity for life in the kingdom.—John 1:14; Heb. 2:9; Gal. 4:4; II Cor. 8,9; Mark 10:45
Probably the most difficult hurdle to be overcome by those who believe in a triune God is the thought expressed in the Scriptures of Jesus’ oneness with the Father. One of the texts that is used to support the doctrine that the Father and Son are one and the same person is John 10:30, which reads, “I and my Father are one.” The Jews took violent exception to this statement in that they supposed that Jesus was proclaiming himself to be God. But Jesus in effect said, You do not understand, and then quoted from Psalm 82:6, “Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?” (vs. 34) On what basis did God call the children of Israel gods? In the psalm it is clear that the persons that are spoken of as being called gods are the princes and magistrates of Israel. They were God’s deputies in a special way because the people whom they governed were God’s peculiar people. The high priests derived their dignity and status from God, and they possessed the Urim and Thummim. The seventy chosen by Moses received the Lord’s Spirit. And so will all his prophets and special servants. “If he [God] called them gods, unto whom the Word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken; say ye of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?”—vss. 35,36
Jesus, it must be observed, was charged by the Jews with ascribing divinity to his human nature; and in his reply to that he shows that calling himself the Son of God did not imply divinity, but rather, like the prophets of old, his works proved a relationship between him, as a man, and God. In verses 37,38, we read: “If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”
The works that Jesus did were the works of the Father, and Jesus was commissioned by Jehovah to do them, just as God’s agents in the past were commissioned to do his works. God’s Holy Spirit operated in the lives of the magistrates and prophets of old in a limited way, but the Holy Spirit was operating in the life of Jesus in a special way. He was a spirit-begotten Son. As a Son he had the power and authority to do God’s works, and he was also in perfect harmony with the Father in all his works and purposes. It is in this sense that the Father and Son were one. This thought is clearly brought out in many texts. For example, Jesus emphasized many times that he came not to do his own will, but the will of the Heavenly Father who sent him. When he was in the garden of Gethsemane and knew the terrible experience that was ahead, he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.” (Mark 14:36) The Heavenly Father’s will was ever foremost in our Lord’s life; therefore he could truly say, “I and my Father are one.”
In John 14:9 Jesus told Philip that “he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” But Jesus, in the context, explains what he means. In the beginning of verse 9 Jesus says, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me?” The thought is that Philip should have become aware of the perfection of his life—his mercy, love, and goodness—in other words, the complete harmony of his life and character with that of the Heavenly Father. And in this sense Philip had seen in Jesus all that he could discern of the Father—the expression of his character.
Jesus, in his Sermon on the Mount, admonishes his footstep followers to endeavor to manifest the same characteristics—the Heavenly Father’s character—in their lives, in order that they too might become children—sons—of the Heavenly Father: “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven. … Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”—Matt. 5:45,48
The ultimate objective that is held out to the footstep followers of Jesus during the Gospel Age is expressed by Jesus in his prayer recorded in John, the 17th chapter. “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” —vss. 18,19
In raising Jesus from the dead, the Father did more than restore his Son to his former position of glory in the heavenly realm. He highly exalted him to a place next to himself on the throne of the universe. He exalted him to the divine nature also, so that now he is truly the Divine Christ—the “express image of the Father’s person.”—Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:34,36; Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:3,13
Through mistranslation and belief in the Nicene Creed, the translators have been led to erroneously believe and teach that the Holy Spirit is a person, the third person of a triune god. But the Scriptures, when properly understood, do not support this thought.
In the Old Testament the word “spirit” is a translation of the Hebrew word ruach. The primary meaning of this word is “wind.” The thought is not that the Holy Spirit is a “wind” but, rather, that in the Hebrew language the word ruach best described the substance and the action of the Holy Spirit. The wind is not visible to the eye, and yet it is powerful, and we are able to see the outworking of its power. God’s Holy Spirit is not visible to the eye, and yet it is all-powerful and we are able to see, in some instances, the outworking of this power.
In the New Testament the Greek word translated “spirit” in the expression Holy Spirit, or Holy “Ghost,” is pneuma. The primary meaning of this word is also “wind,” or “air.” Our English word pneumatic is derived from pneuma.
The Holy Spirit is the invisible power of God—a power that is manifested in a great many ways. In Genesis 1:2 we read that “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” This was the power of God used in creation. The influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives as Christians is primarily that of God’s mind—the power of his expressed will for us. For example, in John 6:63 Jesus said, “It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail: the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (RSV) And in harmony with this thought, the Apostle Paul said he prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him.” (Eph. 1:17) It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are enabled to discern in his Word a knowledge of God. It is this revelation of God—his character and purposes—that becomes a motivating power and influence in our lives.
There are various expressions in the Bible used to describe the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian. One of these expressions is that the Christian is born of the Spirit. Some of our Christian friends refer to this as being born again. Jesus, in John 3:3, said, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
Nicodemus asked a very natural question, “How can a man be born when he is old?” Jesus answered, “Except a man be born [again], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.”
The key to a proper understanding of these texts lies in the Greek word gennao. It means either born or begotten. In the New Testament it has been translated beget 49 times and born 39 times. It is necessary to determine by the context which thought is intended by the writer. When, for example, one comes to God in repentance and, through faith in Christ, surrenders himself in full consecration to do the Heavenly Father’s will, what occurs is properly described as a “begetting” of the Spirit of God. In other words, a new life is then begun. It is necessary for this new life—with its new aims, ambitions, and desires—to grow until the new mind is fully developed. Then, after the old man dies, the new mind is resurrected and given a new spirit body. It is then that the Christian is born again. The Christian is begotten now and born in the resurrection.
A Christian is said to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Baptism means being completely submerged in something. The thought is that one baptized of the Spirit is completely submerged into the will of the Heavenly Father; that is, he has yielded up his own will, and from that point forward he seeks to submit himself fully to the control of the Heavenly Father.
From God’s standpoint, when he poured out the Holy Spirit at Pentecost it was for the entire church of the firstborn. Therefore, when one is baptized of the Holy Spirit he is pictured as coming in under the original outpouring of the Spirit, and he is thus completely covered by it.—I Cor. 12:13
The Christian is also said to be filled with the Spirit. (Eph. 5:18) How impossible this would be if the Holy Spirit were a person! But we understand this expression to mean that the Christian is expected to extract from the words of God the spirit of the words. This spirit of God’s words becomes a powerful influence and expression of God’s will working in the life of a Christian. To be filled with the Spirit requires the death of the individual’s own will, and the void thus created is replaced with God’s Spirit, or will.
In Acts 2:16-21 the Apostle Peter quotes from the Prophet Joel to the effect that it was in God’s arrangement, in due time, to pour out his Spirit upon all flesh. We know that this will take place in the kingdom and will be accomplished in many ways. God’s Spirit, or power, will bring about the resurrection of the dead, and through the provisions of the New Covenant he will cause his laws to be written in the hearts of all people. The people will then have their first opportunity to earn everlasting life by being obedient to God’s laws. The favorable circumstances of the kingdom result from the fact that Satan will be bound so that he can deceive the nations no more.—Rev. 20:2,3; Isa. 35:8-10; Jer. 31:31-34; Isa. 26:9; Ps. 98:9; Isa. 25:6-10