BHI & The Trinity, Part 2
When discussing with the so-called Black Hebrew Israelites it is good to help remind them of the wealth of passages in the New Testament that teach the triune nature of the one God.
SUMMARY OF THE TRINITY
Based on the sixty-six books of the Scriptures there is One God, who exists as three co-equal persons; namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
THREE-FOLD BREAKDOWN OF THE TRINITY
- One God: Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD.”
- Three Persons: Matthew 28:19, “…the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
- Co-Equal: See chart below from CARM.org
TEXTS THAT ONLY TRINITARIANS CAN RIGHTLY ANSWER
- Whose Image Is Mankind Made In?: Genesis 1:26-27, “26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness… 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
- Who is the Second YHWH?: Genesis 19:24, “Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.”
- How Did Moses See God’s Face, When God Said No One Can See His Face?: Exodus 33:11, “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.” & Exodus 33:20, “And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.”
- Who Did Isaiah See?: Isaiah 6:1, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple.” & John 12:41, “These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.”
- Who is Isaiah Talking About as the “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father” that is Born as a Child?: Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
- Who is David’s Lord?: Psalms 110:1, “The LORD says to my lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” & Psalm 8:1, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!”
- Who is From Everlasting that Visited Bethlehem?: Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” & Matthew 2:6, “But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
- Who is the Spirit that He is Included in Paul’s Prayer?: 2 Corinthians 13:14, “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
- How Many Thrones Does the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit Have?: Revelation 22:1, “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” & Revelation 7:17, “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
TRINITARIAN EXPERIENCES
- Creation: The Father speaking through the Son as the Spirit creates (Genesis 1:1-2, John 1:3, & Psalm 33:6).
- The Tabernacle/Temple: The Father speaking, the Spirit as the Presence from which the fire and cloud came, and the Son meeting with Moses/priests (Exodus 33:11,15,20).
- Jesus’ Baptism: The Father speaking, the Son in the water, and the Spirit descending (Matthew 3:16-17).
- Jesus’ Transfiguration: The Father speaking, the Son transforming, and the Spirit incoming in a cloud (Matthew 17:5).
- God’s Throne on Earth: The Father and the Son on a Throne the Spirit proceeding from them (Revelation 22:1).
WHERE DID JESUS DWELL IF HE WASN’T SHARING GOD’S NATURE AND WAS CREATED BEFORE THE HEAVENS AND EARTH?
A strong argument against believing Jesus created everything, other than Himself, is asking the person who is making this assertion, “Where did Jesus dwell if He wasn’t in the nature of God and was created before the heavens and the earth?”
Below is a graph demonstrating this problem. The solution is simple, Jesus is the Creator of all things like John 1:3 states. He has always been with God the Father in His nature. John 1:3, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”
THE TRINITY IN JOHN
John 1:1-5 (KJV) 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
John 1:14 (KJV) And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:18 (KJV) No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 1:18 (NET) No one has ever seen God. The only one, himself God, who is in closest fellowship with the Father, has made God known.
John 14:16-17 (KJV) 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
*NET Bible Notes on John 1:18: The textual problem μονογενὴς θεός (monogenes theos , “the only God”) versus ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός (ho monogenes huios , “the only son”) is a notoriously difficult one.
Only one letter would have differentiated the readings in the mss, since both words would have been contracted as nomina sacra: thus qMs or uMs. Externally, there are several variants, but they can be grouped essentially by whether they read θεός or υἱός.
The majority of mss, especially the later ones (A C3 Θ Ψ f1, 13 lat), read ὁ μονογενὴς υἱός.75 א1 33 pc have ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, while the anarthrous μονογενὴς θεός is found in66 א* B C* L pc…
…θεός also explains the origin of the other reading (υἱός), because it is difficult to see why a scribe who found υἱός in the text he was copying would alter it to θεός. Scribes would naturally change the wording to υἱός however, since μονογενὴς υἱός is a uniquely Johannine christological title (cf. John 3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9). But θεός as the older and more difficult reading is preferred.
As for translation, it makes the most sense to see the word θεός as in apposition to μονογενής, and the participle ὁ ὤν (ho on) as in apposition to θεός, giving in effect three descriptions of Jesus rather than only two.
FURTHER TEXTS
Acts 20:28 (KJV) Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NIV) May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Philippians 2:5-6 (KJV) 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
Colossians 1:15,19 (KJV) 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature… 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell.
Hebrews 1:8 (KJV) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV) And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.