One God, One Lord

Greg

​Professing Christians throughout church history have grappled with various theological concepts, and while it is true that some have fallen into theological error and even apostasy, it is also true that some Christians have moved beyond erroneous traditions to a better understanding of God, Christ, and the spirit. 

For just shy of twenty years my theological studies focused on soteriology and theodicy. My views changed in various ways throughout those years, but eventually they solidified into what they are today.  Life’s circumstances and spiritual battles led me to move my family to Alaska.  As I continued to seek light from God, my studies turned to Pneumatology and then Christology.  I had been a “paper” trinitarian for years, accepting as truth what I had been led to believe was a Christian requirement. Studying these matters on my own has resulted in me rejecting trinitarianism for a unitarian theology.  First came the understanding that the spirit is not a third distinct self in a so-called triune God, but that the spirit is the personal presence and power of Yahweh.  But my journey did not stop there.

Initially I resisted unitarian teaching about Jesus.  After all, to reject his “deity” was to reject him altogether, or so I thought, but only because I had heard others make this claim.  I continued in my studies and came to realize that I had been believing in the Jesus of man-made creeds rather than the Jesus of scripture.  I now believe that Jesus, the Son of God, is not God the Son.  As it says on our “About Us” page:
 
“We believe that mainstream Christianity has by and large abandoned the historical and scriptural Jesus for "another Jesus"; a "Jesus" that stems from unnecessary metaphysical speculations that render him not "like his brethren in every respect" (Hebrews 2:17), but instead declare him to be a confusing dual-natured being who is part of an incomprehensible triune being.  We believe with Jesus that Yahweh, the Father, is the only true God (John 17:3), and that others are sometimes called "God" or "god" in a representative sense, and that the terms elohim and theos (usually translated as God/god) are designations of an authoritative status - Moses [Exodus 7:1]; rulers [Psalm 82:6; John 10:34-35]; Davidic kings [Psalm 45:6; Hebrews 1:8]; Satan [2 Corinthians 4:4].  We believe Jesus is God's only begotten Son, born to a virgin, our Lord Messiah, "a man approved of God" (Acts 2:22) who was empowered by God to do miracles, that he was tempted as we are but never sinned, that he is the Savior of the world who died and was resurrected that we all might have eternal life, that he is the ultimate Davidic king to whom God has given all authority in heaven and on earth, and that he will return to the earth to rule and reign forever.  We believe that all who submit to his rule over their lives will be given the gift of immortality at the resurrection.  He is Lord of all, subject only to the Father.  We submit to Yahweh, the Father, as the Most High God, and to the Lord Jesus, his Messiah, whom we are to honor as we honor the Father (John 5:23).”
 
Though many preachers and theologians get creative in their explanations, Trinity theories are confusing and I believe unscriptural.  Some emphasize God’s oneness while trying to explain the distinctions between the Father, Son, and spirit, while others emphasize the individual Personhood of the Father, Son, and spirit while trying to explain how they are one. Those in the former group are reluctant to acknowledge three divine selves, for this would appear to be tri-theism, while the latter group, with variations, strains to maintain a monotheistic perspective while acknowledging the deity of three different beings. Rather than striving to maintain certain theological labels, as many do, we should strive to collect the biblical data and follow where it leads us, regardless of what others may call us.

Did God intend it to be difficult for us to distinguish between him, his Son, and his spirit? Or have the ideas and definitions of men made it difficult? Perhaps it is simpler than we think and we need to stop allowing fallible theologians and pastors to determine truth for us.

One must consider the following questions and seek answers from the scriptures:

1. What does it mean that Christ is “the beginning of the creation of God?” (Revelation 3:14)
2. Why did Christ say the Father is greater than he is? (John 14:28)
3. Why did Christ say that the Father is the only true God? (John 17:3)
4. What does it mean that Christ is the Son of God? (John 3:16)
5. Why are there only a few passages that maybe call Jesus “God”, and why do those passages lead to disputes among professing Christians?
5. Why did Christ say the Father is his God? (John 20:17)
6. Why did Christ say that as the Father has life in himself, “so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself?” (John 5:26)
7. Why do the scriptures say that God is the head of Christ? (1 Corinthians 11:3)
8. What does it mean that Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God?”, or that “equality with God is not something that he tried to grasp?” (Philippians 2:5)
9. Who or what is the word (logos) in John chapter 1?  
10. Why did Christ’s listeners think he was making himself equal with God? (John 5:18)
11. Why did God use the term “God” in reference to Jesus in Hebrews 1:8?
 
People come to different conclusions about these questions, and while some people are obviously wrong (two opposing views cannot both be correct), it isn’t because they are unintelligent.  They are looking at what they think is biblical evidence and trying to understand the truth.  I’m not saying that being sincere is all that counts, but I do think some people are trying to understand, and I think God is merciful to those who are moving toward him with a humble heart.  

Doctrines concerning the relationship and nature of God and Christ have been at the forefront of historical debates.  Where might we end up, theologically, if we are influenced by unnecessary metaphysical arguments, or imperfect creeds of church councils, and we fail to abide by the simple words of scripture? I’d say in the muddied theological waters in which we find mainstream “Christianity” today.

Many people consider the edicts of historic church councils to be authoritative, but why? Some think that we are rejecting the scriptural statement that the spirit of God leads Christ’s followers into all truth, but who among us has the authority to say which group has it right?  There has always been disagreement among professing Christians when it comes to scriptural interpretations, and being a part of the most powerful institutions does not guarantee accuracy.  Some professing Christians in history have been responsible for tremendous persecution, yet Jesus said his followers would be persecuted, not that they would have the prerogative of persecuting others.  We should take this into account when considering history.

The last group of men whose words were authoritative were the apostles, and they are all dead, awaiting the return of Christ. Fortunately, we have their inspired teachings when we hold the scriptures.  I do not consider the creeds and decisions of church councils, or the pronouncements of church “fathers”, to be authoritative. If anyone took the time to find out, they were often in disagreement with each other anyway.  I can look at their writings to see what I can glean from their labors, but I am in no sense obligated to accept their interpretations.  The formation of “orthodoxy” in the past has at times been as much influenced by political ambitions as anything else, and those who have disagreed have been silenced through ostracization or even death. That is not Christianity.

As for teachings about the "Trinity", battles ensue as people attempt to explain how three beings who possess the attributes of deity can be one God, or conversely, how one God can be comprised of three beings who possess the attributes of deity.  As others have, I find the concept of a Tri-person being to be problematic. Calling God one “what” and three “whos” is not helpful.  In this view of the Trinity, God is not even a person! God is a substance; a substance shared by three “persons.”  I think it is safe to say that God does not appreciate the fact that he has been turned into a mere substance. I only want to hold to the truth of scripture and if the claims I make leads someone to call me a “heretic” or a “non-christian”, then so be it.  I will continue to follow Jesus my Lord, a man, who incidentally, was considered a heretic by the religious establishment of his own day. 

Here I will state up front my theological affirmations about God, Jesus, and the spirit. 
 
God, The Father
God, Father, and LORD are his titles in the English scriptures – YHWH (Yahweh) is his name.  Yahweh is the one true God (John 17:3), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exodus 3:6,15; 4:5; Matthew 22:32; Acts 3:13; 7:32), the God and Father of Jesus Christ (John 20:17; Romans 15:6; Ephesians 1:3,17), and the God and Father of those who are in Christ (John 1:12; 20:17). Yahweh is a spirit (John 4:24), he is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), loving (1 John 4:16), and good (Psalm 34:8), and is unchangeable in his nature and character (James 1:17). He has revealed himself in nature, as well as in the scriptures, so that we may know him (Romans 1:19-20; Deuteronomy 6:4, 1 Corinthians 8:6).  
 
The Son of God, The Messiah
The Lord Jesus (Yeshua in Hebrew) is the only begotten Son of God. He is the embodiment of the word and wisdom of God (John 1:14), and the fullness of God dwells in him (John 1:14; Colossians 2:9). He was born to the virgin Mary (Matthew 1:23). He lived a sinless life (1 Peter 1:21-22), died as a sin-offering on our behalf as the Savior of mankind (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Timothy 4:10), was buried, and was resurrected three days later (1 Corinthians 15:1-8, Matthew 28). He appeared to his disciples and ascended to heaven. He will return to the earth to rule and reign (Acts 1:1-11). Though exclusively human, he was given a functional equality with God (Matthew 28:18, Philippians 2:5-11) and all who submit to him as Lord are given the gift of eternal life (Romans 10:9-10). 
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Holy Spirit
It is correct to speak of the spirit as “he” (John 14:17) or “it” (Romans 8:16) for God is spirit and is holy, and God confers his spirit (it). The same can be said of the resurrected Christ. Paul wrote of Christ: “The Lord is that spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:17), and he wrote that the “last Adam became a quickening spirit (life-giving spirit)” (1 Corinthians 15:45). We also read of the spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). Thus, the resurrected Christ is a man with a spiritual body and he indwells his disciples by his spirit. Since there is one spirit (Ephesians 4:4), I believe the spirit of God is equivalent with the spirit of Christ (Romans 8:9). There is not a consensus among translators when it comes to the use of the word spirit (for example, it can be translated breath or wind), nor when to capitalize it, in English translations. One’s theological understanding of the spirit of God will impact translation choices.  I opt to use “spirit” (lower case) in all instances since the Hebrew and Greek texts did not contain distinct capital and lower-case letters. It is best to consider the context of scripture when seeking to understand any reference to the word spirit, rather than merely assuming that translators always get it right – especially when they do not agree with one another. 
 
We think that many professing Christians claim to believe in the Trinity merely because it is received tradition, but they don't actually understand it.  Many preachers know they have to affirm it to maintain their ministry positions, so they do affirm it, though they cannot explain it either.  Some Trinitarian scholars admit trinitarianism is incomprehensible, but many in ministry positions do not.   In fact, it is incorrect to call it "the" Trinity, because there are multiple Trinity theories in circulation.  One does not have to believe in a Trinity theory (the doctrine is nowhere to be found in the scriptures) to believe in the Father, his Son, and his spirit.