THE TRINITY IS THE KEYSTONE OF THE DOCTRINAL ARCH;
WITHOUT WHICH THE REST OF THE STRUCTURE WILL FALL DOWN.
“THERE IS ABSOLUTE UNITY AND EQUALITY IN THE GODHEAD”
I am writing this brief paper as a testimony, rather than a Bible exposition. We have many contacts over the world because of the Prophetic Telegraph, and some of our readers may wonder what is the basis of our faith in respect of the Trinity, so we now believe it is the right time to make a declaration so that all doubts will be removed.
Although the deep nature of God is quite obviously beyond human comprehension, except within the limits conveyed by Scripture, yet the Trinity is really a very simple concept, and one that a child finds very easy to accept. Having four children of our own, and having presented them with this concept in their earlier years, we have found them able to grasp it with ease, and now in their adult years it has become the cornerstone of their faith in God.
It is perplexing to us why so many of the cults stumble over this doctrine, unless of course they are being tricked by a cunning deceiver who wants to rob them of this important truth about God.
It would be burdensome to our readers for us to quote numerous passages of Scripture to establish our position, and we have no desire to use references as “bullets” to shoot down all the opposition. But there are just a few important passages which must be presented.
In Matthew 28:19 Jesus briefed His disciples about their future work, saying, “Go therefore, and disciple all nations, baptising them in the name of the FATHER, and of the SON, and of the HOLY SPIRIT.” Three persons, but one name.
In 2 Cor.13:14 Paul concludes his letter by saying, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” At Jesus’ baptism (Matt.3:16) we read of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the person of the Son, and a voice from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.”
Peter, in his first letter, addressed the “Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.” (1 Pet.1:2)
In each of these references, there is a clear and unmistakeable reference to the threefold nature of the Godhead. We have been amazed at the contrivances of the cults to “reduce” this simplicity to a complexity. And for what purpose?
The desire for a “Unitarian” faith, to comply with the Jewish position based on the Shema, and the Arabic position as carved in stone at the entrance of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, is ill conceived. It comes of misunderstanding the meaning of “One God.” Let us see what they say.
The Shema, which is recited by orthodox Jews every day, is found in Deut.6:4 “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.” The unity here is not a singularity, but a oneness of the Godhead contrasting strongly with the heathen pantheon of gods. In Gen.2:24 a man and his wife become “one flesh”, but no one mistakes the unity for a singularity because two distinct people are spoken of.
The Arabs have inscribed on the Dome of the Rock the following:- “Praised be Allah who never produced a son nor had a companion. Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God! Say not “Three”. God is only one God! Far be it from His glory that he should have a son!” This is like the abomination that makes desolate, standing on the holy place. We are told that the “Doctrine of the Trinity” was not conceived until the time of Theophilus of Antioch, about AD 180, the first to mention it in writing. But one doesn’t need to search for this in the Patristic writings. It is already clearly stated in the New Testament, as shown above, and by many other allusions, too numerous to mention.
Others tell us that the O.T. is consistently Unitarian, and that the plurality concept only crept in after the resurrection of Christ. But there are verses in the O.T. to challege this, for example, in Gen.1:26, “Let US make man.” Gen.3:22 “Behold the man is become as one of US.” Isa.6:8 “Whom shall I send, and who will go for US?” And five times is this plural form found in Isa.41:22-23.
Unitarians deny the Divinity of both Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Binatarians deny the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. To deny the Divinity of Jesus is to fly in the face of Thomas’s declaration to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” (Jn.20:28) Jesus never reprimanded him for saying this. If He was other than Divine, it would have been gross blasphemy.
But even before Jesus was born, He was declared to be Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Do we really need further proof? And all such “proof texts” are in essence only an academic exercise. The true glory of God’s Son shone through all His life and His words, so that one needs never question who He was.
But what of the Holy Spirit? There are those who enforce their view that God’s Spirit is none other than the “force” or the “power” of God the Father. They give many quotes to prove this assertion. But even the least able reader of Greek, who possesses, say, an Interlinear Greek-English N.T. would be able to see at a glance that the words “holy spirit” appear frequently WITHOUT the definite article, and refer to “holy spiritual power”. But when those same words are used WITH the definite article “The Spirit the Holy (One)” they must refer to a Person. It’s a great shame that the A.V. and other newer translations do not distinguish between the Giver and the Gifts.
We read about holy spirit being “poured out.” Such words cannot be applied to a Person. But they can be applied to a power. On the other hand, “the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit” cannot be attributed to a power, but only to a Person. (Mark 3:29) And again, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us – -“, Acts 15:28. And so we find that the Holy Spirit, the OTHER Paraclete, wills, (1 Cor.12:11), searches (1 Cor.2:10) is grieved (Eph.4:30), helps and intercedes (Rom.8:26)anddistributes gifts, (1 Cor.12:11) all of which are properly the work of a Person.
To read John 14 – 17, and in particular the way the Lord spoke about the coming of the Holy Spirit, should banish all erroneous concepts about the Holy Spirit as a Person.
But now we come to another aspect of the Trinity which is seldom considered by Christians of any denomination or persuasion. In fact we have hardly ever heard anyone mention it over the last 30 years, in all our travels and contacts with fellow believers.
We frequently speak about God as “Father”, and equally as “the Son”, without realising that both of these expressions are meaningless without the word MOTHER! In human terms, there cannot be a father, without their also being a mother and a child. Likewise there cannot be a son, without there also being a father and a mother. Who then is the Heavenly Mother but the Holy Spirit? This will come as a shock to most of our readers, and be quite unacceptable to many. But the reason for the shock cannot possibly be that the simple conclusion is monstrous, blasphemous, or against Scripture. It is merely that it has never been taught. It’s new, it’s unusual, tradition has nothing to say about it, so it can’t be true!!
I’ve presented this thought to some in the past, only to have them come back to me saying that the Greek pronouns connected with the words “Holy Spirit” are always either neuter or MASCULINE, and therefore my theology is out of order. But there is a mystery here, a sacred secret which possibly needs to be unlocked at this time.
We assert that we are “born of the Holy Spirit”, and on earth ALL babies are born of a MOTHER. Should the simple analogy fall down when applied to a new, and heavenly birth? Is it not simpler to say that we are born of the Holy Spirit, our Mother?
In Eph.5:31-32, Paul quotes from Genesis about a man leaving his father and mother. Then he says, “This is a great mystery, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.” What GREAT MYSTERY is contained in these words? None at all, unless we are to read that Jesus left HIS FATHER AND MOTHER to come to the earth and seek a Bride! That would still seem to be a great mystery to many of God’s children.
But the key to this mystery is found way back in Genesis 1:26-27, “Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness.” “So God created man in His image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them.” Adam was specifically in the image of God as Father, and Eve in the image of God the Holy Spirit, as Mother. Only thus can these words be given their full significance and meaning.
But when Eve was created, she was taken from Adam, a most singular and strange operation to be sure. But in it God displayed something about the nature of the Godhead that is very deep and meaningful. He was trying to show us that the Holy Spirit, as Mother, resides in Him as Father. She, as “Wisdom” was “possessed” by God in the beginning of His way, before His works of old. She was “established” from the beginning, or ever the earth was. She was “brought forth” before the mountains and the hills were made,(Proverbs 8:22-25) brought forth as Eve was fashioned from Adam, “bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh”. As such it is no more incorrect to refer to the Spirit of God as HE, than it is to write on an envelope “To Mrs Arthur Eedle.”
To extend this figure, the Divine Son of God was “begotten, not made”, He was “brought forth” from BOTH Father and Mother. When the Angel spoke to Mary, he said that the Holy Spirit would attend her, AND the power of the Highest would overshadow her, and because of the presence of these TWO, that which would be born of her would truly be THE SON OF GOD. In the mystery of the incarnation, there was a replay, if I might use that expression courteously, of the manner in which God’s Son existed from eternity WITHIN the Father and the Mother.
Some have said that Jesus never existed before He was born. But this cannot be true. He Himself said “I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me.” (John 6:38) And on another occasion He said to the Pharisees, “Before Abraham was, I AM”, which angered them.” (John 8:58)
I hope and pray these brief notes will act as a refreshment to the spirits of those who read.
