Commentary on "The Triune God"

JEREMY GRAHAM

 

Day 4: Tuesday, January 3, 2012 - The Holy Spirit

 

Overview

Today's lesson discusses Adventism's beliefs about the Holy Spirit and the Godhead.

 

Observations

The first sentence of today's lesson states: "If God can be 'one,' with the two Persons of the Father and the Son, adding a third Person to the Godhead should not particularly add more difficulty.”

This statement is remarkable. In other words, since they've already convinced themselves that two gods can be called "one” (notice their quotation marks), then there's no reason they can't "add” a third god and still call them "one.”

The author then says: "The person who has chosen to follow Jesus is baptized into the 'Name' (singular, not plural, in the Greek), although three Persons are included. Three Divine Beings are viewed as One.”

Again, we see that the Seventh-day Adventists are not Trinitarian (three persons in one Being) but rather believe in Tritheism (three gods) instead: "Three Divine Beings” who are merely "viewed as One.” Unlike in Trinitarianism, Adventism uses the words "Persons” and "Beings” interchangeably. This is also seen by looking at their Easy Reading Edition's paraphrase, which says: "These Three Persons are God and act as One.” Again, notice that their "Three Persons” are not actually one (one Being), but merely "act as One.” The fact that the "Name” is singular in Matthew 28:19 shows that God is a single living Being, not that "Three Divine Beings” are just "viewed as One” or "act as One.”

The Biblical fact that God is one living Being (monotheism) rather than "Three Divine Beings” (tritheism) can be proven very easily by looking at passages such as Isaiah chapters 44 and 45:

“ 'Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts:

‘I am the first and I am the last,

And there is no God besides Me.

‘Who is like Me? Let him proclaim and declare it;

Yes, let him recount it to Me in order,

From the time that I established the ancient nation.

And let them declare to them the things that are coming

And the events that are going to take place.

‘Do not tremble and do not be afraid;

Have I not long since announced it to you and declared it?

And you are My witnesses.

Is there any God besides Me,

Or is there any other Rock?

I know of none.’'

[…]

Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,

'I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,

Stretching out the heavens by Myself

And spreading out the earth all alone,

[…]

'I am the LORD, and there is no other;

Besides Me there is no God.

I will gird you, though you have not known Me;

That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun

That there is no one besides Me.

I am the LORD, and there is no other,

[…]

For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited),

'I am the LORD, and there is none else.

[…]

'Declare and set forth your case;

Indeed, let them consult together.

Who has announced this from of old?

Who has long since declared it?

Is it not I, the LORD?

And there is no other God besides Me,

A righteous God and a Savior;

There is none except Me.

'Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth;

For I am God, and there is no other.

'I have sworn by Myself,

The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness

And will not turn back,

That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.”

(Isaiah 44:6-8, 24, 45:5-6, 18, 21-23 NASB.)

So, the LORD (YHWH), God, the Maker of all things, who created everything "by Myself” and "all alone,” says that there is no other god besides Him. Notice that the personal pronouns used to refer to the one and only God include"I, ” "Me,” "My, ” "Myself,” and "He.” Those words could only be used to refer to a single living Being, not to a united group or committee of three divine Beings (which, at best, could be referred to collectively as an "it”). This means that there is a "He” (a single living Being) who is God and there is no one else besides "Him” that is God.

Also notice that the last verse quoted above says that "every knee will bow” and "every tongue will swear allegiance” to the one who says "I am God, and there is no other.” And Philippians 2:10-11 (NASB), quoting the passage from Isaiah, says, "so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Thus, we see again that Jesus Christ is Himself the one and only true God, and there is no other.

Today's lesson goes on to state: "Mark draws attention to all three Members of the Divine Godhead in an awesome revelation of God that affects even nature itself.” Again, the Godhead is a single living Being, not a divine membership club!

At the end of today's lesson, the author says: "New Christians will have both the indwelling Holy Spirit (John 14:17) and also the Spirit of Christ (Gal. 2:20, Col. 1:27).” And the Easy Reading Edition says: "New Christians will have both the Holy Spirit’s leading (John 14:17) and also the Spirit of Christ (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27).”

First of all, Biblically, the "Spirit of Christ” is the Holy Spirit. Also, the above quote says that "new Christians” (but not old Christians?) have the Holy Spirit indwelling them (or "leading” according to the Easy Reading Edition) but that they simply have "the Spirit of Christ” without any mention of indwelling. This is because Adventism denies that Jesus Christ is omnipresent (one of the essential, eternal, immutable attributes of God), and thus they do not believe that He indwells anyone (see http://www.cultorchristian.com/#Omnipresence). Not only do the verses they reference for "the Spirit of Christ” (Galatians 2:20 and Colossians 1:27) not contain any reference to "the Spirit of Christ” (these verses indeed are speaking specifically of "Christ”), but they actually state that Jesus Christ Himself indwells believers:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Galatians 2:20 NASB.)

“to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:27 NASB.)

There are many other verses in the New Testament which also teach the omnipresence of Jesus Christ, both while He was on earth and after His ascension. Some of these passages include: John 1:45-50, John 14:18, John 14:23, Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20, Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 3:17, Ephesians 4:10, Colossians 1:17, Colossians 3:11, and Revelation 3:20.

Since God is one undivided being, then wherever the Holy Spirit is, there the Son and the Father must be also. This truth is affirmed in the Trinitarian teaching of perichoresis or "co-indwelling” (see more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity#Mutually_indwelling and here: http://web.archive.org/web/20101006044320/http://www.theopedia.com/index.php?title=Perichoresis&oldid=24455). The SDA heresy that Jesus is not omnipresent is further evidence of their anti-Trinitarianism and Tritheism.

 

Summary

1. God is a single living Being (an "I”/”He”—monotheism), not "Three Divine Beings” who merely "act as one” (tritheistic polytheism).
2. Comparing Isaiah 45:22-23 with Philippians 2:10-11 shows that Jesus Christ is Himself the one and only true God, and there is no other.
3. Jesus Christ is omnipresent in His divine nature and personally indwells those whose spirits have been born again.

 

GO TO DAY 5

 

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