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Nature of God

The subject of the Nature of God seems to be shrouded in mystery for many Christians. Many scriptures do not agree with their viewpoints, and therefore the subject seems to be confusing.

The most popular doctrine today being promoted by most Christian churches is the doctrine of the Trinity. The theory goes that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons in one, or rather that they are three hypostases of one being, which is God.

We must however point out that there are several scriptures that disagree with this viewpoint. We will now consider a few.

"22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him."

(Luke 10:22, KJV)

If the Son and the Father were the same being, why is it required that "things" be delivered from one to the other? How is it that one knows about the other? That is only possible if they are separate beings.

"22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:"

(John 5:22, KJV)

If they are the same Being, how can one decide to hand over judgment to the other? What is the point of such a transfer of jurisdiction?

"27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

(John 6:27, KJV)

How can the Father decide to seal Himself for His obedience and love towards Himself?

This is only possible if the Son is a separate being.

"5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?"

(Hebrews 1:5, KJV)

How can He speak this of Himself? Clearly they are separate individuals.

"22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power."

(1 Cor 15:22-24, KJV)

Why would He deliver the Kingdom to Himself, at a certain point in the future? Clearly the Son will work in His millennial rule, till all mankind comes under the Kingdom of God, and then He will hand it over to His Father.

Christ echoed the knowledge and understanding of King David when He said the following:

"42 Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

43 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,

44 The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?

45 If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"

(Matthew 22:42-45, KJV)

Clearly Christ was always the Son of God, and not the same being as the Father. Else this discussion of Christ makes no sense.

We can continue to show how the Trinity doctrine does not work with many scriptures.

The truth is in fact very plain. The heavenly family consisting of the Father and the Son exists much the same way as earthly families.

"14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named"

(Ephesians 3:14-15, KJV)

The indication of this verse is that the word "God" can be considered a Family Name.

The truth is that the Father is the Most High God, and Christ is His Son. They are separate beings of the God Family. They are called the Father and the Son, for that is precisely what they are - two separate beings, Christ being subservient to His Lord, God the Father.

The biggest enigma is the understanding of the Holy Spirit. The Trinity doctrine tries at first to make it into a separate being, thanks to some misunderstood scriptures. Then it goes on to make it into a non-being, by saying it is one of the hypostases of God. Very confusing. The truth is that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God the Father, which flows through Christ, and can flow to humans if they desire it to be so.

Notice how the Spirit of God flows through Christ, and to Christians as well. It is the same Spirit that is in God the Father that is in Christ as well.

"9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.

11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you."

(Romans 8:9-11, KJV)

The confusion comes with some scriptures that indicate that the Holy Spirit is a separate individual, making decisions and speaking to the apostles. What really happened is that Christ was involved, and since Christ was acting on behalf of God, being moved by God's Spirit, the verse is written as though a person is speaking, which is true in a sense. It was a spirit being that talked to them. It was Christ, representing God, through the Spirit. This subject also requires broader Bible study, and cannot be dealt with in such a short space. The Holy Spirit is not a separate being with it's own mind. It is simply what the scriptures tell us about it. It is the Spirit of God. Humans also have a spirit.

"8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding."

(Job 32:8, KJV)

This does not mean that there is a second being for every human being. So is there also not a separate being called the Holy Spirit. It is simply the Spirit of God. But God can cause His Spirit to be projected, and even create things. Still, it is not a separate being.

In the God Family are two beings, the Father and the Son.

To understand the Nature of these two God beings takes considerable Bible study. To clarify and get all the scriptures on the topic to agree, takes a considerable amount of work. The problem is that most Bibles have been translated with the purpose to agree with the Trinity doctrine, which is very unfortunate. The Trinity doctrine was only formulated and incorporated about two to three hundred years into the current era after Christ's crucifixion. Therefore, the original Church did not teach the Trinity doctrine.

The average Christian starts the study on the subject with two disadvantages:

1) One may have the Trinity doctrine as a preconceived idea in mind, and will miss the correct understanding of scripture, by trying to interpret it in a way that agrees with the preconceived idea, thereby wresting scripture to mean what it does not say.

2) There are many suspect translations of key scripture in this regard. One has to firstly verify if these verses has indeed been translated correctly.

Let's notice one example of a questionable translation.

"6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one."

(1 John 5:6-8, KJV)

Several study Bibles have a footnote indicating that 1 John 5:7 is not present in earlier manuscripts, uncovered from archeological discoveries. Verse seven was added somewhere along the way, and is indeed one of the key scriptures of the Trinity doctrine. There are many other questionable translations.

There seems to be a trend with the most recent modern translations being worse in this regard than earlier translations.

Once we understand the Truth, we can only marvel at the beautiful relationship between the Father and the Son. The love between them transcends human comprehension, and is too wonderful to behold. There is an essential need for Christians to understand this and to repent at the full comprehension of our sin Sacrifice. It will open our eyes to the Love of God, and what a beautiful way of life and thinking God wants us to learn, and experience. The love between the Father and the Son is what eternal life is made of. Through Bible studies and sermons, the Church can help you to understand, and share in this Godly love.

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