Category: Triune God

There are Three Who Testify in Heaven

On By TimIn 1 John 5, Triune GodLeave a comment

This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and the three are one. There are three that testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are toward the one.

1 John 5:6–8

This one is going to take some time to reason through as it is not without controversy. The importance is that John is going to show again that Jesus is indeed Jehovah now. The controversy comes with a discrepancy in the text. In some versions of the Bible, the two verses seven and eight are far less verbose than what is in the King James Version. The text included in the KJV has a technical name. It is called the Johannine Comma. To explain that idea in detail will take much time, I will not do that. There is an excellent article on this posted from the Berean Patriot: The Johannine Comma. It’s a good read that may help all to understand.

Of course, my foundations in the faith comes by Independent Fundamental Baptist preaching. So I’ve heard much on why the King James Version is the only reliable Bible. I don’t embrace that anymore, and consider much of the argumentation proving the case rather juvenile.

Don’t get me wrong, the KJV is a great and reliable Bible. I say that having read up on the issue of textual criticism over the years. Especially since the introduction of Facebook which has greatly broadened my perspectives. As a result, I prefer the non-Alexandrian text of the Textus Receptus, also called the Majority Text and loosely, the Masoretic Texts. There are caveats that must be understood, more than I want to know. I investigate when issues arise and to learn. If you read this blog regularly, it is also clear that I use the Septuagint when it helps to clarify.

As I learn what the Bible says, the issue that guides me mostly, is the avoidance of Greek Gnosticism. Specifically, it is almost exclusively the denial of the humanity and/or divinity of Jesus Christ. The early church encountered this, as did the apostle John. It is one reason for his epistle. This denial is still around today, and embraced by many who call themselves Christians. You may even have some in your church.

It is with that primary concern that provides the purpose for this post… Jesus is Jehovah. I encourage you to take the time to actually say that out loud. It has a unique way of clearing the air and the mind. Those three words are powerful, yet immensely freeing.

I appreciate the indulgence toward me letting you know my approach to the text. With that, let’s go!

By Water and Blood

This is He who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. It is the Spirit who bears witness, because the Spirit is the truth.

1 John 5:6

When it comes to the apostle John, I am learning that he has a very intimate revelation of Jesus. Not only did He know Him as He walked on earth before His crucifixion and after His resurrection. He was in His divine presence in his book Revelation. One cannot understand what is said here, without the entire panorama of what John wrote. One must start from the beginning of the end in Revelation.

When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though I were dead. Then He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, though I was dead. Look! I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

Revelation 1:17–18

I think John’s reaction to seeing the Divine Jesus is important to note. It’s not like his interactions with Jesus before. John is awestruck at the presence of this Being with burnished orange feet. (That’s probably all he saw falling there. I think the rest of His body has the same skin color. Perhaps this very image is why some direct their hate toward an orange man. There is a real spiritual congruence. No, I am not likening Trump as Jesus or vice-versa. Just pointing out a very real and dark spiritual manifestation. I digress.)

The recurring themes and phrases that thread though John’s major writings are many. There’s the I am (ego eimi.) There’s the after these things (meta tauta.) There are many others to discover. The text in 1 John 5 points to the first of these.

John’s Gospel contains one of the greatest apologetics on the divinity of Jesus. He begins that by saying Jesus is God. He also says that He became flesh. He came by blood, which is the antithesis of being born again which is not by blood. There fore, in my understanding, by blood refers to human birth.

He came by water and by blood.. Though there are differing interpretations of what this means. When I read it, the water immediately points me to John 3 where Jesus is speaking of birth.

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly I say to you, unless a man is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

John 3:5

This part of the epistle is going to provide a rock solid testimony of the essential Truth. Just as John witnessed to in his Gospel account of Jesus’ own words. The first is that Jesus is indeed born human by water. Which means He gestated in the womb, too. The reference to the blood is the second witness to His humanity. Humans have blood, divine beings do not. It’s not just that He is born human, He is human. He has blood.

The Bible teaches us that a matter is established by two or three witnesses. We have two to His humanity. The third Witness is Divine. John wrote of this briefly from the eyewitness testimony of John the Baptizer.

Then John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and have borne witness that He is the Son of God.”

John 1:32–34

The Holy Spirit descended on Him and remained. Other accounts add some detail to the event.

And a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:17

This event testifies to the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God. But knowing some of the Old Testament Scriptures that give a foundation and testify to the idea, Jesus is Jehovah. In Isaiah, the proof is clear: the Son given is called Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Remember, His birth testifies to His humanity, it also testifies to His divinity, He is born of a virgin.

These three witnesses testify to Jesus’ divinity and His humanity. It’s not two natures existing in One being. He is the unique perfection of both joined as One.

Saying Jesus is Jehovah is just as true as saying Jesus is Human.

This refutes the Gnostic idea that Jesus was only divine. It refutes lots of other ideas, like Arianism, Modalism, Sabellianism, and that Jesus was created by God. There are some who say Jesus is not Jehovah because He sits at the right hand of Jehovah.

All of these are heresies that deny the Truth. These three testify of Jehovah in flesh.

Our Testimony

This is the controversy with the Johannine Comma. If these are really words written by John, then there are three in heaven that testify. Which then makes it rock-solid evidence of the reality about Jehovah. One which John knows very well.

Read this paragraph and see what you encounter.

Jesus answered him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, but you do not know these things? Truly, truly I say to you, We speak of what We know and bear witness of what We have seen, but you do not receive Our testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven except He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man who is in heaven.

John 3:10–13

Did you see it?

We speak of what We know. We have seen. Yet Nicodemus did not believe “Our testimony.” Who is the We to Whom Jesus is refering?

I find it ironic that Jesus was speaking to a scribe there. One who would have known the Scriptures in the Tanakh. The words that testify of Him. And it is always with Jesus encountering Israel’s leaders that He expected them to expect Him. As pointed to above from Isaiah 9, the Mighty God and Everlasting Father would be a Son given to Israel

My Father

Before He came to Nicodemus, Jesus overturned tables in the temple, claiming it as His Father’s house. He claimed God as Father, and that should not have been shocking. No reaction to that was recorded, if there was one. Yet John cites it as a fulfillment of a prophecy in the Psalms.

Jesus testified that the Father so loved the world that He gave His unique Son. The language used is a direct reference to Isaiah 9:6, “a child is born,” and “a Son is given.”

Here is testimony that parallels 1 John 5:

He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness of what He has seen and heard, yet no one receives His testimony. He who has received His testimony has certified that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without measure to Him.

John 3:31–34

Those are the words of John the Baptist. John says Jesus comes from heaven. He testifies to what He has seen and heard. Those that do not believe will not have eternal life. Those that receive what He says, meaning those that take it or lay hold of it, demonstrate that God is real.

After the recording of this, John shows that Jesus intentionally seeks out a Samaritan woman. He reveals to her His divinity, too. He says He is the Messiah. Knowing Isaiah 9, the Son given is a reference to the Messiah. Jesus told her plainly that He is Jehovah.

In John 5, there is the lame man at the pool of Bethesda whom Jesus singled out to heal. He told the man to get up and walk, and the man did. However that day was Shabbat. The authorities took note. The man was then grilled by them because he was carrying his bed—He was working. The man testified he did not know Who healed him, and said as much when asked. Jesus later found the man. That healed man left to tell the authorities that is was Jesus Who healed him. It was then the authorities sought to kill Jesus. It was not for the reason many suspect. The penalty for working on Shabbat is death. Since the man did as he was told, the responsibility for the penalty fell on the One commanding him. (Managers take note.) When the authorities came to Jesus for an explanation, here are the things that followed:

Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” So the Jews sought even more to kill Him, because He not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 5:17–18

The authorities immediately knew what Jesus claimed. John is not done with making the Truth about Jesus plain to all. Jesus is still speaking to those authorities that seek to eradicate Him.

Three Who Testify in Heaven

Then Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do. For whatever He does, likewise the Son does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does. And He will show Him greater works than these so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. The Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son, that all men should honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 5:19–23

He continues…

“If I bear witness of Myself, My testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness of Me, and I know that the testimony which He bears of Me is true.

John 5:31–32

Who is the Other Who bears witness of Jesus?

It is the Father in Heaven. He testifies to the truth of Jesus in the works that Jesus does. These things prove that the Father sent Jesus. He is the Miracle Worker of old Who bore Noah through the flood and the Israelis through the sea.

Where John writes his epistle, Jesus has already been caught up to Heaven. He is there now, so it makes perfect sense to say that there are three in Heaven Who bear witness.

The Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit

I personally don’t like to use the word Trinity. I don’t reject the concept. I reject the oversimplification and the baggage added to the idea. Even though that is simple. God has told us of Himself. I take hold of that testimony, all of it.

Considering Father, Word, and Spirit, there are many overt testimonies to find in the Tanakh. The first one comes from Genesis 1:1… In the beginning God. The Hebrew word for God there is Elohim. Hebrew has many unique peculiarities, this is one of them. Elohim is the plural of the singular Hebrew noun El. Both translate to God. Hebrew nouns come in singular form, dual form, and plural. The dual form is Elohayim, which would signify a set of two. Which means that a Hebrew plural is really more than two. Or at least, three. Elohim is three or more which is the initial idea.

Then there is the Sh’ma Yisrael…

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is one!

Deuteronomy 6:4

One, in this verse, is translated from the Hebrew word echad. Which properly means united as one, as in a unity of parts. The word Lord there is the Tetragrammaton. I usually use Jehovah. Jehovah is One!

Two witnesses, but are there more?

Yes, there are a lot of them. Besides the earlier reference to Isaiah 9, there are more. I will reference two.

Thus says the Lord the King of Israel,
and his Redeemer the Lord of Hosts:
I am the first, and I am the last;
besides Me there is no God.

Isaiah 44:6

Thus says Jehovah, the King of Israel. This title that belongs to the Messiah. The Lord (Jehovah) of Hosts is also a title belonging to the Messiah. Finally, the first and the last is also how the Messiah describes Himself in Revelation. There is also a hint of this in Genesis 1:1 where the Hebrew says, “Bereshit bara Elohim et.” Literally in English it is, “In the beginning God.” But the et is not translated. It is two letters encoded in the text. They are the aleph and the tav. These are the first and the last letters of the Hebrew alphabet. It is the equivalent of alpha and omega.

Come near to Me, hear this:
I have not spoken in secret from the beginning;
from the time that it was, there I am.
And now the Lord God has sent me
and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:16

I encourage the reader to diligence—read all of Isaiah 48. For purposes here, I will tell you that the person speaking is Jehovah. (Back in Isaiah 45:18, Jehovah declares Himself as the One speaking.) When getting to this verse, it is Jehovah’s call to Israel. He identifies Himself yet again, but differently. He declares He, Adonai (Lord) God, sent Jehovah and His Spirit.

This text tells us that Jehovah is the One sent from Adonai. John is borrowing heavily from the Tanakh. The sent One is Jesus, Who is clearly Jehovah. John knew this from Jesus’ Own testimony.

The Father Himself, who has sent Me, has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

John 5:37

The Father sends the Son to give life. One of the previous references above included John 5:21 where Jesus says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He will.” To another group of people, Jesus will say in John 6:63, “It is the Spirit who gives life.”

By Jesus’ testimony, there are Three Who give life, the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.

One of those other important consistencies, in Isaiah 48 is that Jehovah declared things would happen before they did. It is God Who alone knows the beginning from the end.

Remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
“My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My good pleasure,”

Isaiah 46:9–10

Throughout Jesus’ Own testimony in John’s Gospel, He says He tells what happens before it does. In His case to the authorities, He said if one knew the Father they would know Him.

I am He

Back to John. He knew the Father, and he recorded these words from Jesus.

“Now I tell you before it happens, that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He. Truly, truly I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me. And he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”

John 13:19–20

When Jesus says He speaks future things before they happen, He is identifying Himself. Remember, God said there is no other like Him, He knows the future. Therefore, if Jesus says He knows the future there is only one conclusion. He says that “I am He.” This is for His friends so that they may believe that.

In some of your Bibles, the He is italicized. That means it is added for clarification. The underlying Greek is ego eimi, literally I am. Jesus is telling everyone present exactly Who He is.

Furthermore, whoever receives who Jesus sends receives Him. What does that mean and Who does He send?

It is the Holy Spirit.

“But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

John 15:26–27

This verse cements the idea that the Spirit is sent by Jesus. Yet He calls the Spirit Counselor. Recall Isaiah 9:6, the child born and the Son given shall be called… Counselor. Isaiah 48:16 referenced previously says that Adonai sends Jehovah and the Spirit. John 14:26 says that the Father sends the Spirit.

The Father is Jehovah, the Son is Jehovah, and the Spirit is Jehovah. The clear cut reality—Jehovah is One! There is plenty of testimony in John’s own writings that the controversial passage is probably part of the original.

Three testify in heaven, and these Three are One.

Three That Testify on Earth

There are three that testify on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are toward the one.

1 John 5:8

Just as Three in Heaven testify as One, the three on earth testify toward the One. That is, they testify that God has indeed come in Flesh. He is Emmanuel, God with us.

The testimony from John himself is very consistent. That One God exists in Three Persons is not just a tradition, but a reality from the Tanakh. The rejection of which has dire consequences.

This Witness in You

If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God which He has given concerning His Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God has this witness in himself. Whoever does not believe God has made Him out to be a liar, because he does not believe the testimony that God gave about His Son.

1 John 5:9–10

The testimony of the eyewitnesses of Jesus… Like John’s… Needs to be received. It is eternal life. It is not just John’s testimony, but the greater testimony of God.

These testimonies must agree, that the Man Jesus is indeed Jehovah Himself. Which means if a person comes and says Jesus is not Jehovah, they disagree with the testimony of God. The consequences of that is to make Jehovah a liar. That will not work out well for anyone who does that.

This was a prevalent heresy at the time John wrote. The Gnostics denied the uniqueness of Jesus… Man and Jehovah. This denial of truth is still present today. It has become more subtle. Yet it is easily identified when people scoff at the Truth… Jesus in flesh is Jehovah, He is Jehovah today, sitting at the right hand of Jehovah. That Truth never changes.

Those that believe this, have the same witness in themselves. That is, they have Jehovah in them. That is the Counselor that was sent by Jesus. Receiving Him, one receives Jesus and the Father. The Truth reconciles.

And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life, and whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

1 John 5:11–12

That is the consistent testimony of John… That Jesus gives life, and as such… Is indeed Jehovah.

The choice is yours to believe or not.

He who believes in the Son has eternal life. He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

John 3:36

One God, the Truth That Is Foolish to Deny

On By TimIn 1 Corinthians 08, Jehovah, Jesus, Triune GodLeave a comment

But for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist. And there is one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  (1 Corinthians 8:6, MEV)

The theology in the New Testament comes from the Tanakh. It is not new theology at all. Consider the verse above as a starting point. Paul is using a profound truth from the Old Testament as It spoke of Jesus Christ. To understand that will require a look under the hood, that is to look at the underlying mechanics of translation from Hebrew to Koine Greek, then finally English.

Paul says God is One, the Father. The Greek word Theos is translated to the English word God. In other words, he is saying Theos is the Father.

Paul goes on to apply the term One to the Lord Jesus Christ. The English word Lord comes from the Greek word Kyrios. That is, there is one Kyrios, not multiple ones… And He is Jesus Christ.

Putting it together, reveals the simple truth. There is one God, the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, how did this theology come about?

In the time that Jesus walked the Earth and during that first century when the New Testament was written, the Scriptures commonly used by Israelis was a translation called The Septuagint. It is a translation of the Tanakh. The title conveys the idea behind he it came to be, The Translation of the Seventy. It was actually 72 Israeli translators who worked to convert the Hebrew and Aramaic into common (at that time) Koine Greek. The work was done in the third century BC by request of Ptolemy II.

Why is that important?

Paul would have been very familiar with the Septuagint. In fact, many quotes from the Old Testament in the New Testament are from the Septuagint. Paul, like every Israeli, knew the Shema… Shema Yisrael… Literally “Hear, O Israel.” This is found in Deuteronomy.

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. (Deuteronomy 6:4b, LES)

That citation is from an English translation of the Septuagint. It uses exactly the same English words as the translation of the Bible that I use. (One caveat when using to Septuagint: chapter and verse divisions won’t match the traditional Old Testament in Bibles today.)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord is our God. The Lord is one!  (Deuteronomy 6:4, MEV)

Referring to the Septuagint’s use of the Koine Greek, connect it to the original Hebrew.

First, in Deuteronomy 6:4, the English phrase The Lord usually indicates that the original Hebrew word translated from is YHWH, the Tetragrammaton. Generally, I use Jehovah for that. The 72 translators used the Koine word Kyrios as the Hebrew YHWH. Kyrios is used twice in that verse.

Next, in the phrase our God, God comes from the Koine word Theos. Theos is translated from the Hebrew word Elohim.

Finally is the word one. It comes from the Koine word heis. That word provides a hint to the reality of what Paul is saying and Jesus said Himself. Heis conveys the idea of a unity of parts. It is a cardinal number. It is translated from the Hebrew word echad, which means one, as in a unity.

Putting it all together reveals a profound truth that is obvious in the New Testament.

The Kyrios is Theos. Kyrios is a unity.

In other words…

Jesus Christ is God the Father. Jesus Christ is the unified One.

That is why Jesus said:

My Father and I are one.”  (John 10:30, MEV)

Which leads to another theological truth that is derived from that idea. One that Jesus expounded on in John 10, pointing back to Psalm 82.

God is elohim. One One Elohim is God.

Jesus did clearly say, He is Jehovah God.

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins. For unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”  (John 8:24, MEV)

There is None Like Me

On By TimIn Hebrews 01, Triune GodLeave a comment

God, who at various times and in diverse ways spoke long ago to the fathers through the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the world. He is the brightness of His glory, the express image of Himself, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had by Himself purged our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 1:2–3

When recently reading this portion of Scripture, it reminded me of a recent conversation. The gist of which was an objection to this phrase, “Jesus is God.” The objection went something like, “Jesus was God, but not at this time.” As He is sitting at the right hand of God.

Granted, when discussing this issue, things become very difficult for our finite minds to grasp. Even my bride asked me recently about these things, and they are hard to explain. I think there are multiple reasons. One is our limited physical reality which inhibits film understand of spiritual things. Second, and probably most important, is that He says there is no one like Him. I think that means there is nothing akin to God as One.

Remember the former things of old,
for I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is no one like Me,
declaring the end from the beginning,
and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying,
“My counsel shall stand,
and I will do all My good pleasure,”

Isaiah 46:9–10

I know that there are those who object to the idea that Jesus is God and is sitting at the right-hand of God because it doesn’t make sense. To cope with that, the explanation is as if somehow Jesus is separate from and takes off what it is to be God. The idea is rather difficult because there is nothing to like Him for comparison.

It’s a point that God says of Himself, He is not like anything else. He just is.

Considering that, I think the writer of Hebrews wants to convey the clear distinction between the Father and the Son… And how Each is no less God. (I would add ‘at any time,’ but that makes a mess of things because God is not encumbered by time.) I also think this portion of Hebrews lends help to enlighten a weird passage in the Torah. Which in turn helps to clarify the issue at hand.

Yes, the Father spoke though prophets, but then He sent His Son. The Son is Heir of all things. He is everything that God is. Yet there is a distinction. It is the Son Who Himself purged our sins. The Son then sat down at the right hand of Majesty. That hints that there is something significantly different about the Son… It is a term I think of as locality. It is also seems as if Jesus put Himself in the position of contingency to God. Paul indicates this in Philippians 2. He said that Jesus emptied Himself of what it was to be God and took on the form of a servant not considering equality with God as something to hold tight. This is instructive because Jesus has to rely on God, and in that way He becomes a model to follow.

The writer of a Hebrews will make the case that a body was prepared for the Son. A human body, conceived, gestated, born, grown to adulthood, and eventually wounded to death by sin. It’s the humility of the Savior submitting Himself to the penalty of sin, death. He is human in every way yet perfectly sinless. Death had no claim to Him and He took up His life again. Yet He still has a body, and is not like a spirit. He’s not like an angel at all. Therefore He has locality like any other human. Yet He is still God in every way.

He was made so much better than the angels as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
For to which of the angels did He at any time say:
“You are My Son;
today I have become Your Father”?
Or again,
“I will be a Father to Him,
and He shall be a Son to Me”?
And again, when He brings the firstborn into the world, He says:
“Let all the angels of God worship Him.”
Of the angels He says:
“He makes His angels spirits,
and His servants a flame of fire.”

Hebrews 1:4–7

Jesus is far superior to the angels. He is Unique. The language reveals the conception of the Son. Humans conceive and beget children, angels do not. (Though the Bible speaks plainly that some of those left that estate and sought strange or different flesh.) It’s a precise idea being conveyed. Jesus is human, He has a body. Angels don’t have a body.

He is the Son and His position is clearly God as all the angels worship Him… At His birth, and even at the right hand of God. It is like God is talking to God. I write it that way because the Father is speaking to the Son, God to God. I’m certain this might just fry the thinking circuits of many. But God is clearly talking to God. He’s not talking to Himself, as there are two distinct Persons involved. The One speaking is God and the One being praised is God.

Don’t believe what I say. It is what the Bible says.

But to the Son He says:
“Your throne, O God, lasts forever and ever;
a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
And,
“You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the works of Your hands.
They will perish, but You remain;
and they all will wear out like a garment;
as a cloak You will fold them up,
and they will be changed.
But You are the same,
and Your years will not end.”

Hebrews 1:8–12

Your throne, Oh God… That’s the Son. Therefore God, your God… That’s the Father. It is crystal clear that God is talking to God. And it’s not like you or I when we talk to ourselves.

Now, it might all seem to be a game in semantics. But it is necessary to look back at the Torah for some contextual clues. I think there is one incident back in Genesis that is useful. It’s back when God calls Abram. God makes some promises to the patriarch. Promises that He alone will keep.

Genesis chapter 12 progresses from the first promises to chapter 15. This is where God again iterates the promises to Abram. Abram begins to boldly question God, not that He doesn’t believe but wants to know how it will be. God promises Abram the Promised Land as a possession. When Abram asks God how he will know God keeps His promises, this is the response.

So He said to him, “Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon.”
Then Abram brought all of these to Him and cut them in two and laid each piece opposite the other, but he did not cut the birds in half. When the birds of prey came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.

Genesis 15:9–11

Yeah, to me, that’s just weird. But this is how covenants were made in those days. Animals were slaughtered by cutting them in half. Each half was laid to one side of the pooled blood between them. The next animal in line would be likewise slaughtered, and so on. This created a blood path between them. The significance is that both parties walk through the cut animals on the blood path to testify that if they break the covenant they will be cut to pieces and shed their blood as these animals. In other words, the person breaking the covenant must die.

It’s here that I must say that I think the significance of this is barely understood. Not so much the covenant and ritual, but the precision of the details. The parties of the covenant are going to walk that blood path placing a curse upon themselves if the covenant is broken.

Back to the scene at hand, Abram was shooing away the birds of prey. As was the custom, the greater party went first. Abram was prepared to go through and waited on God. But, a deep sleep came upon him. Then something odd happened.

As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and terror and a great darkness fell on him. Then He said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will live as strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will be enslaved and mistreated for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. As for you, you will go to your fathers in peace and you will be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation, your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.

Genesis 15:12–16

God gave Abram a satisfying rest. Just as Jesus says to come unto Him and He gives rest. That detail alone is important and points forward to Jesus. It also provides a clue as to Who is really here. There is a hint to the prophetic detail of this particular incident.

I do have questions. One, I want to ask why was God talking to Abram in that deep sleep?

Perhaps this is a way of how God gives visions. It’s recorded for our edification. Which begs another question… Does that mean God cannot work on me until I rest?

It would seem like it. Nevertheless, God gives Abram details about his progeny. But, it’s what comes next that is difficult to ignore.

When the sun went down and it was dark, a smoking fire pot with a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

Genesis 15:17

Abram is sleeping. God talks to him in his sleep. Then It got dark. I think many overlook the significance of the Entities making the Covenant. It’s often said that God made a Covenant with Himself. That almost sounds like crazy talk. But it’s not crazy to think that covenants exist between two or more parties. In this case, we have at least two Persons if not three.

The first is the smoking firepot. Representing the Father, the all consuming fire, the One Who descended on on Mount Sinai in exodus. The One Who led the Israelis in the wilderness by the pillar of cloud. And there’s that smoke which surrounds God much like the Holy Spirit does in John’s Revelation.

The flaming torch is the Light, Jesus. He is the Begotten. He is the Heir of all things.

These parties walked as equals on the blood path signifying that should the covenant be broken, their own blood would be shed in like manner. God doesn’t have blood. From Genesis 3:15, the idea of God having begotten Progeny is clear. The blood path is pointing directly at the incarnation of Jesus.

Furthermore, These Parties will keep the contract. Jesus inherits the land. Israel is established forever. This points forward to the sealed scroll in Revelation. There is no detail that is not important.

On that same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites.”

Genesis 15:18–21

What God did was to signify to Abram, even if you break the covenant I will be cut to pieces.

Covenants aren’t single party. It wasn’t God promising Himself. It was the Spirit promising to the Father and the Son, the Son promising to the Spirit and the Father, and the Father promising to the Spirit and the Son. It’s Their covenant to establish and keep, not Abram’s. Even if Abram broke it, the consequences fell to the Parties in the covenant.

The Son promised to keep the covenant. As did the Father and the Spirit.

The throne of the Son is a forever thing. With a promised purpose…

But to which of the angels did He at any time say:
“Sit at My right hand,
until I make Your enemies
Your footstool”?

Hebrews 1:13

Jesus is God. He has never changed, nor never will.

Spirit, Soul, and Body

On By TimIn Genesis 01, Resurrection, Triune God1 Comment

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 1:26–27

It is hardly hidden that we are made in the image of God. We also know God to be triune in nature, Father, Son, and Spirit. It is not accepted in some circles that we humans are also three-part beings. Is that true?

Here is what Paul said of the matter:

May the very God of peace sanctify you completely. And I pray to God that your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:23

Paul tells us that a human is spirit, soul, and body. In my study, I prefer the Biblical principal that a matter is established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15.) Considering that, let’s see if we can find another.

Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7

From the very first moment Adam was created, a body was fashioned from the dust of the ground. Then God breathed spirit into that body. And finally, Adam became a living soul. It’s the three parts that make one whole.

For another witness, we have this:

For the word of God is alive, and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

This text is a nexus for many other ideas. Especially when considering the immediate context. The verse that follows this hints at hyperspaces. That is another discussion for another time.

The writer of Hebrews tells us that all things are revealed to God. There is no hiding things from Him. His Word is powerful and can divide the spirit and the soul. There are two of the parts of the human. The third comes in the next phrase, where it also divided the joints and marrow. That is most definitely speaking of the physical body. This text indicates three parts.

There is another distinction in this verse, I think. The spirit and the soul seem to be containerized. That is, the body is the house for the soul and the spirit.

Body Shelters Spirit and Soul

We know that if our earthly house, this tent, were to be destroyed, we have an eternal building of God in the heavens, a house not made with hands. In this one we groan, earnestly desiring to be sheltered with our house which is from heaven. Thus being sheltered, we shall not be found unsheltered. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we wish to be unclothed, but to be further clothed, so that what is mortal might be swallowed up by life. Now He who has created us for this very thing is God, who also has given to us the guarantee of the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:1–5

It is of utmost importance to understand this concept. It goes right to the very heart of what it is to be Christian. Our current physical body is a home to our spirit and soul. Paul says when we die, leaving this shelter behind, we have an everlasting one in heaven awaiting us.

Because sin has been sequestered to the flesh, we are burdened by it. And our physical bodies show the wear and tear of sin. Our spirits and souls do not. How can that be?

Paul calls that the circumcision made without hands.

In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised with Him through the faith of the power of God, who has raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has resurrected together with Him, having forgiven you all sins. He blotted out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us and contrary to us, and He took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed authorities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them by the cross.

Colossians 2:11–15

Paul uses the metaphor of circumcision to explain what happened when we got saved plain to understand. Listen, when someone is circumcised, what is cut away is not reattached, it doesn’t grow back again, and it is removed to be discarded.

It’s like what happens to us Christians. The flesh part is separated from the other parts, the soul and the spirit. That is why Paul says that a believer is a new creation.

So from now on we do not regard anyone according to the flesh. Yes, though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet we do not regard Him as such from now on. Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things have passed away. Look, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:16–17

We don’t regard any believer according to the flesh… Yes, we know them physically, but we don’t know them by their foibles. E we don’t identify our brothers and sisters by their sins. They, like us, are new creations.

It’s as if there is some kind of out-of-this-world surgery done… My mind screams Hebrews 4:13. It is the Word of God that divides joints and marrow. The Word is Jesus! He saves, and that is why the resurrection is so much better than the cross.

It’s the Resurrection

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. So it is written, “The first man Adam was made a living soul.” The last Adam was made a life-giving spirit.

1 Corinthians 15:42–45

We see clearly that something about the natural physical body we have now cannot get to heaven. It is the natural man the Bible speaks of, the part that cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.

Just as we see in Jesus’ life, the ugliness of the cross…. What came before… Does not compare with the glory of resurrection. Just as we do baptism, we provide a picture of this very thing. Baptism proclaims resurrection.

We are going to put off these bodies. They don’t go to heaven.

However, that which is spiritual is not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second man was the Lord from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. As we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:46–49

At creation, God formed a body for Adam. We all share the genes given to Adam. They are part of the physical body in this physical world. We bare the image of the man of dust, and we bare the image of the One True God.

But there’s a problem.

Now this I say, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does corruption inherit incorruption.

1 Corinthians 15:50

In the Twinkling of an Eye

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet, for the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible will put on incorruption, and this mortal will put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15:51–53

I know some of you may roll your eyes at talk of rapture. It seems to be controversial. But Paul called it our blessed hope. And that is what it is. We move around burdened by these bodies marked up with sin. Our spirit and soul long to be free of what besets us.

Most importantly, we see from the very beginning of why these things are so. If they weren’t, who really could be saved?

One last point, the angels in heaven are not made like we are. They do not have these three-part bodies. They do not bear the image of God. They have no Kinsman to redeem. That is why they tremble.

But you and I do.

The Surprising Way God Reveals Himself

On By TimIn Holy Spirit, Isaiah 48, Jesus, The Father, Triune God1 Comment

Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there I am. And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.

Isaiah 48:16 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Perhaps what is present here is clear to you. In this portion of Isaiah, the prophet is speaking the words of God. He identifies Himself in the previous context as “I am the First, and I am the Last.” (Is 48:12)

Clearly, we can identify the One speaking in First Person here as God. We also know from other Scriptures in this portion of Isaiah this Person is the Maker, and He also ascribes Himself as Redeemer, Savior, and the Lord of Hosts. If we could identify the Person speaking by New Testament names, it’s Jesus!

If that is not clear, read the last line…

“And now the Lord God has sent me and His Spirit.”

One Person sent at least one other Person. I say that because it is clear in the text. Whether His Spirit is a person is not clear, but from the context it is hinted at.

What is apparent in reading through Isaiah, is there are two distinct Persons ascribed to God. The One speaking, Redeemer, was sent by the Lord God. And if the identity of the One sent is not clear, the next verse remedies that.

Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the Lord your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way that you should go.

Isaiah 48:17 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

The first sentence tells you Who is speaking, and He gives not one, not two… not four… But three attributions to Who He is. Then He sums that up with the name of God YHVH.

Do not let anyone tell you the doctrine of the Trinity was made up by some New Testament “church fathers.” It is right there in the text. The old rabbis knew it, taught it and then suppressed it after Christ’s ascension.

Some Old Testament Evidence for a Multi-person Godhead

On By TimIn Triune God, Zechariah 02Leave a comment

Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for I am coming and will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations will join themselves with the Lord in that day, and they will be My people. And I will reside in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of Hosts has sent Me to you.

Zechariah 2:10–11 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Consider this passage from Zechariah. When reading it, pay close attention to Who is speaking, and Who they are talking about. The Person speaking promises to come and dwell in the midst of the Israelis. He calls Himself “the Lord.”

Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign: The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Isaiah 7:14 — Modern English Version (Thinline Edition.; Lake Mary, FL: Passio, 2014)

Emmanuel, that is literally God with us. He is the promised Anointed One. He is the One Who would dwell in the midst of the people. He is the one to Whom many nations.

Look closely… The One Who comes and dwells in the midst of the people is sent by “the Lord of Hosts.” We have at least two Persons, here, One speaking Who is sent and One Who sends. It’s there for a reason.

The word translated into the English Lord in this selection is the Tetragrammaton. It is that Holy name of God. That’s kind of near, isn’t it?

There’s more. God back and count how many times the word YHWH (Lord) is used. Two of them we know refer to One Person. Perhaps it is to acknowledge a double honor. The other is to the Lord of Hosts, the Father. Of course, the third Person is also present, but by inference. He does the drawing. (It is my conjecture.)

It is Jesus Who is sent by God, and the Holy Spirit draws people to Him.