In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.
John 1:1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
1 John 1:1
Three verses written thousands of years apart fit so succinctly together! In the first verse above, the word for God is Elohim. In Hebrew, the suffix “im” signifies male and plural. In that first verse of the Bible, we see that God is more than one! The apostle John gives Jesus a title at the beginning of his gospel, and that is the Word. Who was with God the Father at creation? Jesus, the Word of God, was! John expounds on that in the third verse above from 1 John, when he reminds us that Jesus was in the beginning before creation. We know he is referring to Jesus because John saw Jesus with his own eyes and touched Him with His own hands!
One of the most important verses for all Jews is the Shema. The verse is repeated at each visit to temple. Additionally, it is written on a tiny scroll and placed into a mezuzah, which is attached to the door frame. Some Jews place this at the entrance to every room, while others place it outside the door most commonly used to enter their homes. The verse inside says:
4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
Interestingly, the word for one is אֶחָד , pronounced echad. The word echad actually means one, but can mean more than one. There is another Hebrew word meaning “one and only one,” yachid, but that is not the word here. In fact, the word yachid is never used in reference to One God! In the following verse, echad is also the word used for one:
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24
If two people can be one, then God can also be one God in three persons.
I have heard many people try to explain the triune nature of God through water, stating that it can be in solid form, liquid form or gas form. I also have heard people try to explain it through an egg, which has a yolk, albumen and a shell. Truthfully, neither of those helps me picture the triune nature of God.
Throughout the Bible, we see the presence of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When studying the attributes of God, we see that He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, and all three representations of the one God are all of those attributes. They work together and relationally speaking, all have order. Jesus always does the will of the Father. Additionally, the Holy Spirit always testifies of Jesus. So the Holy Spirit draws us to accept Jesus and once we accept the Son, we are allowed access into the throne room of God the Father. We can come to the Father anytime we want in prayer! They never conflict each other. All three are living inside of us as believers. It is hard for our minds to completely grasp, but someday we will. I don’t need to understand it completely, as God is God and I am not Him!
Greetings Garry Glaub
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect,
you are sorely mistaken about
echad meaning one, but can mean more than one!
echad simply means ONE!
Cardinal, Numeral ONE.
For details, please read:
Elohim and Echad
And on the subject of the Trinity,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus
Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you to reconsider "The Trinity"
Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor
There certainly is a difference between yachid and echad. In the Genesis 4 verse, two people become one, just as God is one, in three persons. There are many verses in the New Testament where Jesus claims to be God!
ReplyDelete52 Then the Jews said to Him, “Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, ‘If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.’ 53 Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Who do You make Yourself out to be?”
54 Jesus answered, “If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God. 55 Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, ‘I do not know Him,’ I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. 56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”
57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?”
58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
The New King James Version. 1982 (John 8:52–58). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
Try John 17:11 and 17:21, too. Either Jesus was completely crazy and delusional, or He was the Son of God! His teachings and actions while on this earth certainly didn't show him to be crazy. There are tons of places throughout the Bible where the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are there at the same time. This would certainly be worth studying for you, as Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man can come to the Father but by Me. " There aren't many paths. There is one path. I hope you find it!
Blessings in the name of Yeshua!
Garry
Having read this man's links, I am surprised that there are people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah, who do not believe He is God! This man seems to believe that Jesus is a created being, rather than the Creator! He believes that God is the Father, and Jesus Christ is not God, but only the Lord. Yes, Jesus is Lord, but He claimed to be God on numberous occasions. He is the great "I AM" and claims to be exactly that. Additionally, he believes that the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the Father, rather than a third part of ONE GOD. The subtle difference between echad and yachid is obvious through the Genesis 4:22 verse, with a husband and wife becoming one flesh (echad). I see the existence of the Trinity at one time and one place countless times in the Bible. Even in the Old Testament, when Elijah runs from Jezebel (1 Kings 19), we see a preincarnate form of Jesus ministering to Elijah with bread and water (He is referred to as the Angel of the Lord, and we know that Jesus is the Bread of Life and the Living Water). At the same time we see the Father, who was not in the wind or the earthquake. Lastly, we see the still, small voice, a reference to the Holy Spirit. At the Baptism of Jesus, we see the Father commenting that He is well pleased with His Son, obviously present, and the Holy Spirit like a dove. Jesus told His disciples to go out baptizing in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the saddest part of this man's opinion lies in the fact that he has fallen into the same trap of the Sadducees and Pharisees, who called false witnesses to testify against Jesus on a Passover evening trial. Why did they crucify Him? For claiming to be God! If He claimed to be God and wasn't, He was lying, and didn't live a sinless life. How can anyone who claims to believe in Him as their Messiah not believe in the truth of His words?
Don't be deluded or fooled by the eloquent words of the evil one! The answers are all in His Word. This man is certainly twisting the word, rather than looking at the big picture and the many little pictures!