One of the main doctrines in Christianity is the trinity. This idea
comes from I 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." This
verse indicates that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one. These words
are John’s words and not Jesus’ words nor God’s, but according to the Christians
John was inspired by God, and that is the reason for taking his words as
the truth. Let us investigate the Bible to see if God is One and only One,
or that He is, or they are three in one.
Are Jesus and God the same?
I have already talked about this topic in the second chapter, and showed
the difference between God and Jesus. If you have not read that yet please
do so.
Let us see what Jesus himself says
One of the scribes asked Jesus, Mark 12:28 "…Which is the first
commandment of all?" Clearly from the question the man wanted to
know the first of all commandments, and the most important one. Jesus replied
to him in the following verse:
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments
is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment.
- Jesus was not talking to this man only, but he made sure to call the attention
of all Israel "Hear, O Israel." This indicates the importance
of this message.
- Jesus says, "the Lord our God." This clearly indicates that
God is not only the God of the people Jesus is talking to, but He is also
Jesus’ God ("our").
- Jesus continues to say, "is one Lord." This clearly indicates
the Oneness of God.
- Finally, in Mark 12:30 Jesus reiterates that this is the first commandment
"this is the first commandment ." A commandment before all
others.
Jesus in these verses showed how important this message was by calling
the attention of the Israelites, and when he talked about the Oneness of
God he excluded himself from that "Oneness" when he said, "our God."
He stated that this One God is his God as well as every one else’s.
Had he been one of the three mentioned in John (according to John) then
he would not have said "the Lord our God," but he would have
said "the Lord your God." Then it continues in Mark after Jesus told the second commandment:
Mark 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast
said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart, and with all the
understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to
love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and
sacrifices.
Mark 12:34 And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he
said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. And no man after
that durst ask him any question.
When the scribe reiterated the message Jesus delivered, and said, "there
is none other but he" (Mark 12:32), Jesus told him that he was
not far from the kingdom of God. Certainly the scribe understood that there
is only one God, and had his understanding been wrong, Jesus would have
told him, or Jesus would have clarified to all who were listening that
it is really three in one. This was supposed to be an important commandment.
It was the commandment that came before all others.
According to my understanding the verse in I 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," is the only record of the idea
that God is three in one rather than One and only One. The rest of the
Bible is filled with verses indicating the absolute Oneness of God, and
they carry no record of the idea of John in such way.
The Absolute Oneness of God from the rest of the
Bible
In many instances in the Bible, God and His prophets mention that God
is only One, and not three in one. The following are some of the many verses
from the Bible:
- Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD."
God is one and not three in one.
- Isaiah 43:10-11 "Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant
whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that
I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after
me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour."
God wants us to "know," "believe," and "understand"
that He is the LORD, and "beside" Him there is no other.
Had there been any other "beside" Him then He would have
said it.
- Ephesians 4:6 "One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all.
- I Timothy 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus.
- James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well:
the devils also believe, and tremble." What makes the devil tremble
is the belief that God is one, and not three.
- Deuteronomy 4:35 "Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know
that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him."
- I Samuel 2:2 "There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside
thee: neither is there any rock like our God."
- Isaiah 44:6 "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer
the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there
is no God."
- Isaiah 44:8 "Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee
from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there
a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any."
- Isaiah 45:5 "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God
beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me."
- Isaiah 45:6 "That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from
the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none
else."
- Hosea 13:4 "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and
thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me."
Some of these verses testify that God is "one," others attest
that there is nothing "beside" Him, one of them declares
that nothing is "like" Him, and so on. None of the above
verses include anything that describes that God is three in one. Jesus
did not say that he was one of three, nor did God in His own words. I am told that although God and Jesus never mentioned the idea of the
trinity, yet John who was inspired by God clarified this idea for all of
us, the idea that God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one.
My argument is: God never said that He is three in one, never were any
prophets of God ever instructed to say that God is three in one, not even
Jesus was instructed to say that, yet John who was not a prophet of God
(he was an apostle of Jesus, or a disciple) said that God is really three
in one, and the whole world of Christians believe him! I am wondering,
who has more authority? What is more powerful? That which was quoted from
Jesus’ mouth and God’s words, or the interpretation of John?
Before I end this section, "The Absolute Oneness of God from the rest
of the Bible," I would like to raise some points about the idea of inspiration:
- If the idea that the Bible is the book of God because it was inspired is
to be believed, then we should disregard the book of Luke if we are willing
to take Luke for his own words, when we read Luke 1:1-3 "Forasmuch
as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those
things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered
them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers
of the word; It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding
of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus." Luke tells us that he saw it good to write his book.
It was his own choice, and not an inspiration.
- If we should believe that the Bible is the book of God because it was inspired,
then we should also believe in the book "The Book of Mormon, Another Testament
of Jesus Christ." The Author of this book, Joseph Smith, claims he too
was inspired by God. Why should we stop at the Bible alone?
- There are hundreds of different denominations in Christianity, and many
in almost all denominations claim to be inspired by God, yet they are all
different in their beliefs and convictions. Who are we to believe? Who
is right and who is wrong? Especially when some of these denominations
differ with others on the most crucial points in Christianity. Also, why
does God deliver different message to each denomination, is God the author
of confusion? I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion,
but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."
What about worshipping God through Jesus? The worship of God should be aimed directly to God. God does not need
a medium for prayers to come to Him. This is clear from the Bible. When
God says in such a bold manner:
Exodus 20:1-5:
"And God spake all these words, saying,
I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land
of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness
of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I
the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me."
We should not make any images or likeness of any thing that is in the
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water
under the earth as something to worship. God is the only One that we should
bow down to. God, the God of everything, is a Jealous God, and he does
not like us to worship anything but Him, not even Jesus. God shows how
jealous He is when people worship images in Exodus 34:14 "For thou
shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous
God."
Romans 1:21-32:
"Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God,
neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their
foolish heart was darkened.
Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made
like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping
things.
Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts
of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served
the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even
their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman,
burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which
is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error
which was meet.
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not
convenient;
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness,
covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity;
whisperers,
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors
of evil things, disobedient to parents,
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection,
implacable, unmerciful:
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that
do them."