Trinity in the Old Testament
Jews say that the Shema (pronounced “Shmah”), “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord” contradicts the Christian doctrine that Jesus is God. In addition the Shema, there are a number of other Old and New Testament verses that proclaim that God is one (see God is One). However, the triunity of God is taught throughout the Old Testament, even in the Shema!
Oneness implies plurality
How can a statement of oneness imply plurality? In the Shema, the word translated “one” from the Hebrew is echad, which demonstrates compound unity of oneness. Specific examples of how echad demonstrates compound unity are found below:
- For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one [echad] flesh. (Genesis 2:24)
- इस कारण पुरूष अपने माता पिता को छोड़कर अपनी पत्नी से मिला रहेगा और वे एक तन बने रहेंगे।
- Now the whole earth used the same [echad] language and the same [echad] words. (Genesis 11:1)
- सारी पृथ्वी पर एक ही भाषा, और एक ही बोली थी
- And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one [echad] people, and they all have the same [echad] language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6)
- और यहोवा ने कहा, मैं क्या देखता हूं, कि सब एक ही दल के हैं और भाषा भी उन सब की एक ही है, और उन्होंने ऐसा ही काम भी आरम्भ किया; और अब जितना वे करने का यत्न करेंगे, उस में से कुछ उनके लिये अनहोना न होगा।
- Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We’ll settle among you and become one [echad] people with you. (Genesis 34:16)
- तब हम अपनी बेटियां तुम्हें ब्याह देंगे, और तुम्हारी बेटियां ब्याह लेंगे, और तुम्हारे संग बसे भी रहेंगे, और हम दोनों एक ही समुदाय के मनुष्य हो जाएंगे
- Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one [echad] voice, and said, “All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!” (Exodus 24:3)
- तब मूसा ने लोगों के पास जा कर यहोवा की सब बातें और सब नियम सुना दिए; तब सब लोग एक स्वर से बोल उठे, कि जितनी बातें यहोवा ने कही हैं उन सब बातों को हम मानेंगे।
- Then they came to the valley of Eshcol and from there cut down a branch with a single [echad] cluster of grapes; and they carried it on a pole between two men, with some of the pomegranates and the figs. (Numbers 13:23)
- तब वे एशकोल नाम नाले तक गए, और वहां से एक डाली दाखों के गुच्छे समेत तोड़ ली, और दो मनुष्य उस एक लाठी पर लटकाए हुए उठा ले चले गए; और वे अनारोंऔर अंजीरों में से भी कुछ कुछ ले आए
- The whole [echad] assembly numbered 42,360, (Ezra 2:64)
- समस्त मण्डली मिलकर बयालीस हजार तीन सौ साठ की थी।
- They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness [echad] of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. (Jeremiah 32:38-39)
- 39. मैं उन को एक ही मन और एक ही चाल कर दूंगा कि वे सदा मेरा भय मानते रहें, जिस से उनका और उनके बाद उनके वंश का भी भला हो।
Absolute oneness
These are a few of the many examples of how echad is used to show the unity of oneness. How would the Hebrew be different if God had wanted to express absolute oneness? There is another Hebrew word, yachid, that is used to express the idea of absolute oneness. Examples of it are shown below:
- And He said, “Take now your son, your only [yachid] son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.” (Genesis 22:2)
- उसने कहा, अपने पुत्र को अर्थात अपने एकलौते पुत्र इसहाक को, जिस से तू प्रेम रखता है, संग ले कर मोरिय्याह देश में चला जा, और वहां उसको एक पहाड़ के ऊपर जो मैं तुझे बताऊंगा होमबलि करके चढ़ा
- And he said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only [yachid] son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:12)
- उसने कहा, उस लड़के पर हाथ मत बढ़ा, और न उससे कुछ कर: क्योंकि तू ने जो मुझ से अपने पुत्र, वरन अपने एकलौते पुत्र को भी, नहीं रख छोड़ा; इस से मैं अब जान गया कि तू परमेश्वर का भय मानता है
- and said, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only [yachid] son, (Genesis 22:16)
- यहोवा की यह वाणी है, कि मैं अपनी ही यह शपथ खाता हूं, कि तू ने जो यह काम किया है कि अपने पुत्र, वरन अपने एकलौते पुत्र को भी, नहीं रख छोड़ा;
- When Jephthah came to his house at Mizpah, behold, his daughter was coming out to meet him with tambourines and with dancing. Now she was his one and only [yachid] child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. (Judges 11:34)
- जब यिप्तह मिस्पा को अपने घर आया, तब उसकी बेटी डफ बजाती और नाचती हुई उसकी भेंट के लिये निकल आई; वह उसकी एकलौती थी; उसको छोड़ उसके न तो कोई बेटा था और कोई न बेटी
- Deliver my soul from the sword, My only [yachid] life from the power of the dog. (Psalm 22:20)
- मेरे प्राण को तलवार से बचा, मेरे प्राण को कुत्ते के पंजे से बचा ले!
- Turn to me and be gracious to me, For I am lonely [yachid] and afflicted. (Psalm 25:16)
- हे यहोवा मेरी ओर फिरकर मुझ पर अनुग्रह कर; क्योंकि मैं अकेला और दीन हूं।
- Lord, how long wilt Thou look on? Rescue my soul from their ravages, My only [yachid] life from the lions. (Psalm 35:17)
- हे प्रभु तू कब तक देखता रहेगा? इस विपत्ति से, जिस में उन्होंने मुझे डाला है मुझ को छुड़ा! जवान सिंहों से मेरे प्राण को बचा ले!
- God makes a home for the lonely [yachid]; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land. (Psalm 68:6)
- परमेश्वर अनाथों का घर बसाता है; और बन्धुओं को छुड़ाकर भाग्यवान करता है; परन्तु हठीलों को सूखी भूमि पर रहना पड़ता है॥
- When I was a son to my father, Tender and the only [yachid] son in the sight of my mother, (Proverbs 4:3)
- देखो, मैं भी अपने पिता का पुत्र था, और माता का अकेला दुलारा था,
- O daughter of my people, put on sackcloth And roll in ashes; Mourn as for an only [yachid] son, A lamentation most bitter. For suddenly the destroyer Will come upon us. (Jeremiah 6:26)
- हे मेरी प्रजा कमर में टाट बान्ध, और राख में लोट; जैसा एकलौते पुत्र के लिये विलाप होता है वैसा ही बड़ा शोकमय विलाप कर; क्योंकि नाश करने वाला हम पर अचानक आ पड़ेगा।
- “Then I shall turn your festivals into mourning And all your songs into lamentation; And I will bring sackcloth on everyone’s loins And baldness on every head. And I will make it like a time of mourning for an only [yachid] son, And the end of it will be like a bitter day. (Amos 8:10)
मैं तुम्हारे पर्वोंके उत्सव दूर करके विलाप कराऊंगा, और तुम्हारे सब गीतोंको दूर करके विलाप के गीत गवाऊंगा; मैं तुम सब की कटि में टाट बंधाऊंगा, और तुम सब के सिक्कों मुंड़ाऊंगा; और ऐसा विलाप कराऊंगा जैसा एकलौते के लिये होता है, और उसका अन्त कठिन दु:ख के दिन का सा होगा। - “And I [YHVH]2 will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only [yachid] son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born. (Zechariah 12:10)
और मैं दाऊद के घराने और यरूशलेम के निवासियोंपर अपना अनुग्रह करनेवाली और प्रार्यना सिखानेवाली आत्मा उण्डेलूंगा, तब वे मुझे ताकेंगे अर्यात् जिसे उन्होंने बेधा है, और उसके लिये ऐसे रोएंगे जैसे एकलौते पुत्र के लिये रोते-पीटते हैं, और ऐसा भारी शोक करेंगे, जैसा पहिलौठे के लिये करते हैं।
Of course, the last verse is a famous messianic prophecy proclaiming how the Messiah would be killed (see Jesus Christ – Messiah of the Rabbinical Writers). If the Shema had intended to express absolute oneness, it would have used the Hebrew word yachid instead of echad. However, the word yachid is never used in reference to God (Elohim)!
Elohim—God’s plurality
The Hebrew word translated “God” is the word El or Elohim. Elohim is the plural form of El. The plural form is used 2607 of the 2845 times the word “God” is used in the Old Testament. Not only is the word for God usually used in the plural form, but several verses refer to God as “Us”:
- Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” (Genesis 1:26)
- Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”– (Genesis 3:22)
- “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (Genesis 11:7)
- Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)
An example of how the Hebrew word Elohim is used in the plural is that it is translated “gods” (referring to idols) 235 times in the Old Testament. It is exactly the same word that is translated “God,” referring to the Almighty. An example is given below:
“I am the LORD your God [Elohim], who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. “You shall have no other gods [Elohim] before Me. (Exodus 20:2-3)
God the Father
Not only is the plurality of God found in the Old Testament, but the members of the triunity are also defined. Several Old Testament verses tell us that God is our Father:
- “Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He has made you and established you. (Deuteronomy 32:6)
- “He will cry to Me, ‘Thou art my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’ (Psalm 89:26)
- For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
- For Thou art our Father, though Abraham does not know us, And Israel does not recognize us. Thou, O LORD, art our Father, Our Redeemer from of old is Thy name. (Isaiah 63:16)
- But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand. (Isaiah 64:8)
- “Have you not just now called to Me, ‘My Father, Thou art the friend of my youth? (Jeremiah 3:4)
- “Then I said, ‘How I would set you among My sons, And give you a pleasant land, The most beautiful inheritance of the nations!’ And I said, ‘You shall call Me, My Father, And not turn away from following Me.’ (Jeremiah 3:19)
God the Son
The Son is also found in the Old Testament:
- “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee. (Psalm 2:7)
- Do homage to the Son, lest He become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him! (Psalm 2:12)
- Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4)
- “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations, and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14)
God the Holy Spirit
The third member of the triunity of God, The Holy Spirit, is also found extensively in the Old Testament:
Triunity of God in the Old Testament
Finally, there are a number of verses in the Old Testament in which the triunity of God is directly expressed:
- Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4)
- Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-2)
- “Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. (Isaiah 42:1)
- “Come near to Me, listen to this: From the first I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord GOD has sent Me, and His Spirit.” (Isaiah 48:16)
- The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives, And freedom to prisoners; (Isaiah 61:1)
- In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them; And He lifted them and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled And grieved His Holy Spirit; Therefore, He turned Himself to become their enemy, He fought against them. (Isaiah 63:9-10)
| Genesis 1:26 | “Let US make man in OUR image”: Three plural pronouns, (We, Us, Our) used 6 different times in four different passages: Gen 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Isa 6:8. The unanimous opinion of the apostolic Fathers was that the Father was talking to Jesus. |
- The power of this example proves the other US/WE/OUR do not include angels: “Then the [three] menrose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. Yahweh said, “Shall I [not we] hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ” Genesis 18:16-17
- Genesis 19:24 that has two distinct Yahweh’s: One on earth and one in heaven. “Then Yahweh [on earth in human form] rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh [in spirit form in heaven] out of heaven. Genesis 19:24. Although the unanimous opinion of the apostolic Fathers was that this was Jesus talking to Abraham, such is a guess and not specifically known by scripture.
- The unanimous opinion of the apostolic Fathers was that this was Jesus talking to Abraham, in Genesis 18. In this story, Abraham meets God (Jesus) and the two angels.
- Jesus came right out and said He was the one who talked to Abraham. This is what Jesus meant when He said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.”(John 8:56) God appearing to Abraham is an example of a Theophanies. Elijah is also said to have seen Jesus in heaven in Isa 6 + John 12:41. Jesus appearing to Elijah is not be an example of a “Theophanies” because Jesus was seen in heaven.
- For Unitarians, Gen 19:24 + Amos 4:11 is a like getting struck by lightening twice in the same place! Amazingly, Amos 4:10-11 has two Yahweh’s just like Gen 19:24 when talking about the exact same event!: “Yet you have not returned to Me, [Father]” declares Yahweh [Father]. “I [Father] overthrew you, as God [Son] overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me [Father]” declares Yahweh [Father].” (Amos 4:10-11
- We begin with an expository examination of the texts with commentary to prove that Yahweh was walking on the earth in person in human form.
| Commentary | Text |
| three men: Yahweh + 2 angels appear to Abraham | “Now the Lord appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth” Genesis 18:1-2 |
| It was God who was standing before Abraham in human form. | “And Yahweh said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?’ ” Genesis 18:13 |
| Three men intend on visiting Sodom. | “Then the [three] men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. Yahweh said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, ” Genesis 18:16-17 |
| God, in human form says this directly to Abraham | “Yahweh said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do” Genesis 18:17 |
| God, in human form says this directly to Abraham. This verse shows that Yahweh would go personally to Sodom and see for Himself. | “And Yahweh said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. I [Yahweh] will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Genesis 18:20 |
| The two angels, called men, depart, leaving Yahweh behind to talk to Abraham. | “Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before Yahweh. ” Genesis 18:22 |
| Abraham replies to the man and calls him Lord. Notice the Lord (the man) intended on destroying it. | “Then he said, “Oh may the Lord [adonai] not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” ” Genesis 18:32 |
| Yahweh, in human form, left Abraham and went to Sodom to join the two angels who left earlier. | “As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham, Yahweh departed, and Abraham returned to his place.” Genesis 18:33 |
| Two angels visit Lot. During this time, these two are never called Yahweh, neither are they addressed by Lot as Yahweh. | “Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. ” Genesis 19:1 |
| Lot addresses these two angels, as Adonai, not Yahweh. | And he said, “Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant’s house”” Genesis 19:2 |
| Notice the angels say that Yahweh sent them. Yahweh is not present with Lot the way he was with Abraham. The change is powerful proof of our major premise. | “for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before Yahweh that Yahweh has sent us to destroy it.” ” Genesis 19:13 |
| Yahweh, the man who was talking to Abraham, was to destroy Sodom. | “Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, “Up, get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city.”” Genesis 19:14 |
| Again the two are called angels, never Yahweh. | “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” ” Genesis 19:15 |
| There are two Yahweh’s present in this verse and the context. The man talking to Abraham, called Yahweh, was standing on the earth and commanded the city destroyed. Yahweh in heaven then sent the fire out of heaven. | “Then Yahweh [on earth in human form] rained on Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh [in spirit form in heaven] out of heaven |
Oneness Theology
OVERVIEW OF THE TRINITY
The Trinity is one of the foundational doctrines of Christianity. The Trinity is the teaching that there is one God who exists in three distinct, concurrent, persons. Please note, though, this is not saying there are three competing and separate gods (polytheism). The Trinity is not the teaching, in spite of some of its critics, that there are three gods, nor is it the teaching that one person is three persons. What I am explaining here is a form of monotheism. They are all each fully God, but they are the one God in the sense that they are united in one purpose. Put another way, in the one substance of divinity, in the one being that is God, there are three co-eternal, co-existent, simultaneous persons: The Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. To explain the doctrine as saying that “one person is three people,” or that there are three separate, competing deities is a misrepresentation of the doctrine.
OVERVIEW OF ONENESS THEOLOGY
Oneness theology denies the Trinity doctrine and claims that there is one person in the Godhead who has manifested himself in three different forms: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These “forms” are not three distinct persons, but one person who occupied consecutive modes.
Since the Trinity doctrine states there are three persons who, in union are the one God, and Oneness Pentecostal theology states there is only one person, it is not possible for both to be right.
PROBLEMS WITH ONENESS THEOLOGY
THE GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE:
- If there is only one “person” in the Godhead, why does Jesus say to the Father (who is in Heaven) let your will, not mine, be done? (Luke 22:41-42). This passage shows they are two separate, simultaneous persons who each have their own will. They each had a will, and Jesus submitted his will to the Father, whose will was different than His.
- Also in the garden, Jesus prayed, saying, “O my Father.” These words show a “Me/ You” relationship as though they are two distinct, simultaneous persons.
- Is Jesus His own Father? If there is only one person in the godhead, and Jesus is God, does this not mean that He is His own Father?
- Was Jesus praying to Himself? If Jesus was praying to the divine side of Himself, then isn’t He still praying to Himself?
- If it was the fleshly side of Jesus speaking to the divine side of Jesus in heaven, then does this not deny the true incarnation of God in Christ and invalidate the atonement?
THE BAPTISM OF JESUS:
- Jesus, who is God incarnate, is baptized in the water. After He rises out of the water, the Holy Spirit comes down from Heaven in the form of a dove and rests upon Him. Then the Father speaks from Heaven, saying, “This is my Son in whom I am well pleased. Were all three of these distinct persons who do something Jesus? If Jesus is the Father, how could someone else, who is called the Father in the text, speak from Heaven?
THE SCENE IN HEAVEN:
- Jesus is presented in Heaven in His glorified human state in Revelation 1. He is still fully God and fully man. If He weren’t, He would not qualify to be our High Priest. If He is still fully human (and in Heaven, how can He be the same person as the Spirit, who is on the earth ( )?
- The Father is presented as on the throne and Heaven, and Jesus is presented as a lamb beside the throne. How can this be if they are the same person?
- How can Jesus ascend to the right hand of God if He is the only person of the godhead? Did He ascend to His OWN right hand?
JESUS IS STILL MAN AND GOD:
- Since the Spirit teaches us that Jesus is in bodily form now (Col. 2:9), then how does the Oneness Pentecostal person maintain that God is in the form of the Holy Spirit?
- Jesus is spoken of as “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) and the “exact representation of His [God’s] nature.” Is He a copy of Himself? He can only represent fully in His nature another person that exists.
THE BOOK OF JOHN:
- If God is only one person, why did Jesus say in John 14:23, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” If God is only one person, why does Jesus say, “we”?
- How can Jesus, if He is the same person as the Spirit, say that He is going to send the Spirit to earth when He returns to Heaven?
- The Father didn’t send the Word who then became the Son upon entering the world at birth. Instead, he sent the Son into the world. In other words, he was already the Son before he was sent into the world. Jesus, speaking of himself, says in John 5:23 that the Father sent the Son. In John 10:36 Jesus rebukes the false teaches and says that the Father “sanctified and sent him into the world.” From this we see that the Word made flesh did not become the Son at his incarnation for he was already in that relationship with the Father before he was sent into the world
- Also, consider where Jesus was praying to the Father in John 17:5, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
THE OLD TESTAMENT GOD:
- Since the Oneness position teaches that God is the Father only in the Old Testament, how could God be seen in a different form, such as in the form of a man or in the form of the angel of the Lord? (Exo. 6:2-3; Gen. 19:24; Num. 12:6-8) Remember that Jesus said that NO ONE has seen the Father (John 6:46). If they were seeing God Almighty (Exo. 6:2-3) but it wasn’t the Father, then who was it?
- If God was in the mode of the Father, why all of the mentions of the Holy Spirit filling people in the Old Testament? The Holy Spirit is spoken of as a distinct being in the Old Testament also.
- Elohim, the Hebrew word used in the Old Testament referring to God, is a plural word. Scripture says that Elohim is one. How can a plural God be one God? Is this not showing the idea of the Trinity?
- Amos says, ““I sent a plague among you after the manner of Egypt; I blew your young men by the sword along with your captured horses, And I made the stench of your camp rise up in your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord. I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand snatched from a blaze; Yet you have not returned to Me,” declares the Lord.” In this passage, YHWH is speaking. He says that He overthrew them like God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Why does YHWH speak of God in the third person? May it be because One member of the Godhead is talking about another?
THE BOOK OF ACTS:
- We see that the Holy Spirit is called God in Acts 5:3-4 which tells us, “But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land? 4… Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God.” Then, just a few chapters later, Stephen sees a vision in Acts 7 of Jesus in Heaven at the right hand of God. If the Spirit is the only person of the Godhead at this point, then why are Jesus and God mentioned as two distinct beings?
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