The God

OF

 Jesus

       Scripture #9: Acts 20:28: Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood (NIV).

       Since it is Jesus who shed His blood, some believe this passage says God shed his blood and so Jesus must be God.    Some Greek manuscripts substitute kurios for theos in this passage and thus render the passage as “church of the Lord.”  The ASV apparently used a Greek text showing Kurios instead of Theos.

       Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the church of the Lord which he purchased with his own blood (ASV).

       It should be noted that "church of the Lord" (Kurios) is a variant rendering. "Church of the Lord" is found nowhere else in the NT.  The NASV has changed the rendering back to "church of God."

       Some scholars show the literal translation of the Greek at the end of this passage is “with the blood of his own.” "His own" is felt to be a reference to the Son and therefore the passage is sometimes translated as “with the blood of His own Son.”  

       Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son (RSV). 

       There are several different ways of translating this passage depending on the Greek manuscript used and the manner in which the Greek construction is understood.  The “church of God” rendering is found in the older Alexandrian texts.  Theologian Bart Ehrman believes the variant readings found in Greek texts are a reflection of the continuing battle in the early centuries of the Church over how to understand the relationship between the Father and the Son.  There were the Adoptionists who believed Jesus was not deity and became the Son of God during His earthly ministry. On the opposite end were the Patripassianists (type of Modalism) who believed God was only the Father and this God who is Father took on humanity and appeared as Jesus Christ to shed His blood for the sins of mankind. 

       Ehrman believes the textual variant of “church of the Lord” was an attempt to moderate the Patripassianist view that God the Father became Jesus and shed his blood.  Some later Greek manuscripts are seen to further adjust the passage to read “the church of the Lord and God.”  In the oldest Greek manuscripts the end of this passage is rendered “the blood of his own” while in later texts, including most modern Greek texts, the rendering is “his own blood” thus making “his own” refer back to God. What it appears we are seeing is that over the centuries, copiers (scribes) of the Greek text made adjustments of the Greek text to reflect what those in positions of Church leadership promoted as orthodox. What appears to be the case, as Ehrman points out, is that at times adjustments were made one way and at other times adjustments were made the other way in order to counter what were considered unorthodox teachings.

        In the case of Acts 20:28, it appears that “church of God” and “the blood of his own” is what the author intended as this is the rendering found in many of the oldest manuscripts and is also in harmony with other Scriptures.  This would permit the passage to say that God purchased the church through the shedding of the blood of His own Son.  This would harmonize well with I John 1:7 where God's Son Jesus is seen as shedding His blood for sin. Yet in most of the more recent Greek texts, we see the rending “his own blood.” This appears to be a deliberate “adjustment” to support the idea that the reference to God in this passage is a reference to Jesus and therefore tacitly provides support for the Trinity. 

       We must question how much has orthodoxy influenced the transmission of scripture versus scripture being allowed to influence and determine orthodoxy?   It is very apparent that Greek texts differ in their rendering of certain passages and English and other language translations taken from such Greek texts will reflect such differences.  Historically, translators have had to make choices as to what texts to use. It is evident from the variance seen in renderings; choices are often made on the basis of what is orthodox theology at the time.  This, however, does not ensure that the rendering chosen is that which best reflects the thinking of the original author.

       Scripture #10: 1 Timothy 3:16: 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 (KJV).

       The KJV translation of this passage suggests Jesus is God as it speaks of God being manifest in the flesh and we know it was Jesus who was manifested in the flesh. This rendering is sometimes used by Trinitarians as a proof text to show Jesus is God.  Yet the oldest Greek Manuscripts do not show Theos but a different Greek construction that doesn’t say God was manifest in the flesh but that “He” or "who" was manifest in the flesh. Most scholars believe this is referring to Christ who was manifest in the flesh. In ancient Greek manuscripts, copyists abbreviated the word Theos (God) with the Greek letters theta and sigma with a line drawn over the top to indicate it was an abbreviation.  The Greek theta looks like a 0 with a line running horizontally through the middle.  In the early fifth century manuscript called Codex Alexandrinus, it was determined the 0 in this passage did not have a line running through it and the line above it had been added at a later time.  This meant the letter was not theta but omicron which when combined with sigma means "who" or "he." Most modern translations render this passage using the word “He” as referring to Christ as seen in the following renditions.

       Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory (NIV).

       Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is very deep indeed: He was made visible in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed to the gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory (New Jerusalem Bible).

       Even though the New Jerusalem translation was made by Catholic scholars who are Trinitarians, they chose to use Greek texts they felt were closer to the original even if it didn’t necessarily support Trinitarian doctrine as do the texts used by the KJV translators. The Simple English paraphrased Bible says it this way:

       We must agree that the secret of our faith is great:  Christ appeared in a human body.  He was shown to be right by the Spirit.  He was seen by angels.  He was preached among the nations.  He was believed in the world.  He was taken up to heaven.

       Trinitarian theologian Thomas F Torrance writes that this passage “came to play a central and important role in formulating the doctrine of the Trinity” (The Christian Doctrine of God: One Being Three Persons, page 74).  This is felt to be the case because Paul speaks of the “mystery of godliness” which is believed to relate to the Trinitarian nature of God.  Is Paul talking about the Trinitarian nature of God?  Paul writes that Christ appeared in a human body which is to say the anointed of God was a human.  He manifested righteousness in all He did and said which is what the Greek word translated “vindicated” in the NIV and justified in the KJV means.  Angels ministered unto him at the time of His temptation in the wilderness and in the garden of Gethsemane.  He was preached among the nations and many believed in Him.  He ascended to his God and Father. There is nothing here to suggest Jesus is God as God is God or that God is a Trinity of Father, Son and Spirit.

       The Greek word translated mystery in this passage is mysterion. It does not mean something that can’t be understood but something that is understood as private knowledge held by an individual or group.  The discussion in 1 Timothy chapter three is all about qualifications to be an elder or deacon in the Church of God. This information was private to the internal structure of the Church and had to do with how potential leaders in the Church were to relate to God (1 Timothy 3:16).

       The Greek word translated “godliness” in the KJV and NIV is eusebeia which means devotion and piety toward God.  Paul is concluding his discussion of qualifications for elders and deacons by saying the knowledge of devotion and piety is great. He proceeds to list various dynamics of the Christ event as demonstration of this knowledge of devotion and piety.  This passage has nothing to do with defining God as a Trinity.

       Scripture #11: Matthew 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

       Trinitarians often point to Matthew 28:19 as proof of the Trinitarian nature of God.    Trinitarians believe these statements show a mutual indwelling of Father, Son and Spirit which makes them the one single Being God. Jesus is understood to be saying “in the name of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” 

      Matthew 28:19 is commonly used as a baptismal protocol in the Christian community. What is of interest is that this baptismal protocol is not found to have been used by the early Church.  All Scriptural references to baptism show baptism being done only in the name of Jesus. Here are a few examples:

       Acts 2:38: Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

       Acts 10:48: So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

       Acts 19:5: On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

       One reason we see the early church not following the baptismal protocol found in Matthew 28:19 may be that this formula was never uttered by Jesus.  Eusebius (260 to 340 AD), Bishop of Caesarea, was a prolific writer of church history up to his time and often quoted scripture in his writings including Matthew 28:19.  Eusebius never quotes Matthew 28:19 as it appears in modern translations but always finishes this verse with “in my name.”  He shows Jesus saying that baptism was to be done in His name. Eusebius was quoting from manuscripts that are no longer extant.  Our modern translations are taken from later Greek manuscripts. In view of this and the Scriptures repeatedly showing baptism being only done in the name of Jesus, it would appear that the baptismal protocol found in modern translations of Matthew 28:19 is suspect.  On the other hand, there is mention of this protocol in the Didache, a manual of Christian living which dates from the early second century and which was regarded as canonical scripture by Clement of Alexandria and Origen. 

       In view of a mixed perspective as to the authenticity and application of the Matthew 28:19 passage, it should be used with caution in the establishment of doctrine.  Since this passage has to do with the doctrine of baptism, any application of this passage to other doctrinal perspectives should be done with even greater caution.  Therefore, the use of this passage as a “proof text” for the Trinity can only be employed provided there is ample support for the Trinitarian position within the whole of Scripture.  It is the thesis of this book that such broad Scriptural support for the Trinity does not exist while, on the other hand, there is broad Scriptural support for a non-Trinitarian position.

       Scripture #12:    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.

       Trinitarians see this passage as identifying God as Father, Son and Spirit. Is this the case?  It can be seen throughout his writings that Paul uses the word God to designate the Father. So it can safely be said that in this passage Paul is distinguishing between the Lord Jesus and God the Father as he does in 1 Corinthians 8:6 where he clearly says the Father is the only God in distinction from Jesus being Lord.   The words Jesus Christ and God are capitalized in the Greek text of this passage whereas Holy Spirit is not capitalized as is the case throughout the Greek NT.  I will discuss the subject of the holy spirit in a later chapter.

       In 1 Timothy 5:21, Paul says, “I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels….”   No one would conclude from this statement that God, Jesus Christ and angels are in some kind of Trinitarian relationship.  It appears a real stretch to conclude Paul’s remarks to the Corinthians reflects his belief God is a Trinity. Sometimes 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 is used as evidence for God being a Trinity. 

       1 Corinthians 12:4-6: There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.    

       This entire chapter is dealing with the gifts of the Spirit.  Verse four speaks of the Spirit as being from God and it is through the Spirit that is from God that various gifts are seen as given to members of the Church.  In Chapter twenty-one of this book it will be shown that the Spirit is the power and intrinsic attributes of the one and only God which He shares and distributes throughout his creation.  As such, the Spirit is not a distinction of a Trinitarian Godhead but the very core of God’s nature.

       When one carefully examines Scriptures that are purported to give evidence to support the Trinitarian concept of God, it can be seen these Scriptures do not provide such evidence.  When these Scriptures are examined side by side with the many passages we have studied that provide straightforward, unambiguous evidence as to the Father being the one and only Supreme God, it should be apparent the weight of Scriptural evidence clearly shows God the Father as separate and superior to the Son and the Son as a subservient agent of this God.           

       Scripture #13: John 12:40-41: He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn--and I would heal them.” Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

       Trinitarians believe John’s statement about Isaiah seeing Jesus’ glory is associated with Isaiah seeing the glory of YHWH as recorded in Isaiah chapter six and therefore Jesus is identified as YHWH.

       Isaiah 6:1-3: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."

       Isaiah 6:9-10: He said, "Go and tell this people: "`Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."     

       Let us examine the text of Isaiah chapter 6 from where John quotes Isaiah and determine whether the conclusion that Isaiah is seeing YHWH as Jesus is a valid conclusion.

       Isaiah 6:1: In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord (Adonai) seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple.

       Isaiah, during the reign of King Uzziah of Judah, had a vision of Adonai, which is seen throughout the OT as synonymous with YHWH.  To say Adonai is to say YHWH.  In 6:2-3, YHWH is clearly identified as the Being seen by Isaiah.  It is recorded that seraphs were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD (YHWH) Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory."  In 6:8, Isaiah hears the voice of YHWH asking "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"   Isaiah answers: "Here am I. Send me!"  We then see YHWH giving to Isaiah the message He wants Isaiah to take to the people of Judah as recorded in 6:9-10.

       The context of Isaiah 6 is Isaiah seeing the glory of YHWH and responding to YHWH’s request for someone to go to the people of Judah and tell them it is because of their ever hearing and never understanding and ever seeing and never perceiving, that their cities will be destroyed. Isaiah volunteers to take this message to Judah. Biblical history shows the Babylonians invaded Judah and destroyed their cities and took them into captivity.  In John 12:40, John paraphrases Isaiah’s quote of YHWH’s message to the people and applies it to the Israelites of Jesus’ day. History shows first century Israel was judged when the temple and the city of Jerusalem were destroyed by the Romans in AD 70 and many were taken into captivity.   

       Because John paraphrases Isaiah 6:9-10 and goes on to say, “Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him,” it is believed Isaiah was seeing the glory of Jesus when he speaks of seeing the glory of YHWH in Isaiah 6:1. Did Isaiah record what God said in 9-10 because he saw the glory of YHWH?  No he did not.  Is there an association between Isaiah seeing the glory of YHWH in 6:1 and John saying Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory?  No there is not and here is why:

       When John writes that “Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him,” John is not alluding to Isaiah 6:1. Isaiah did not see the glory of Jesus in 6:1. Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus in Isaiah 53. John is referring back to what Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:1 which John quotes in John 12:38.  It is in Isaiah 53 where Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus.

       John 12:38: Lord (YHWH), who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord (YHWH) been revealed?  

       Isaiah 53:1: Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed.

            It is John’s quote of Isaiah 53:1 in John 12:38 that is associated with John’s statement in 12:41 when he said “Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.” It is in Isaiah 53 where Isaiah sees the glory of Jesus and speaks about Him.  Isaiah 53 is an overview of the first coming of Christ.  In this chapter, Isaiah writes about Christ growing up, being despised and rejected by men, taking on himself our infirmities, pierced for our transgressions, oppressed and afflicted and being led like a lamb to the slaughter.  Isaiah writes that upon completing His sufferings, Christ is glorified in that He receives life and a portion among the great. 

     It is in Isaiah 53 that the prophet speaks about Jesus and sees His glory.  John 12:38, is a direct quote from Isaiah 53:1.  Because it is in Isaiah 53 that Isaiah sees the glory of Jesus and speaks about Him, it should be evident John’s statement in 12:41 is associated with Isaiah 53 and not Isaiah 6:1

       Rather than John 12:41 showing Jesus is YHWH, it shows just the opposite. Isaiah 53 shows Jesus as the suffering servant of YHWH and not that Jesus is YHWH. Isaiah 53:1 speaks of the arm of the LORD (YHWH).  Isaiah 53:2 speaks of Christ growing up before him.  Who is the “him”?  The “him” is YHWH who is referred to in verse one.  The arm of YHWH is Christ.  In Isaiah 53:10, the prophet writes the following:

       Isaiah 53:10:  Yet it was the LORD's (YHWH’s) will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD (YHWH)  makes  his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD (YHWH) will prosper in his hand.

       Isaiah is showing it was YHWH’s will to crush Jesus and make His life a guilt offering and that the will of YHWH will prosper in his hand.  If Jesus is YHWH, this passage makes no sense whatsoever. Isaiah is showing YHWH as the God of Jesus and not that Jesus is YHWH.  Isaiah 53 offers strong evidence that Jesus is not YHWH but the servant of YHWH through whom YHWH’s will is carried out.

       Scripture #14:  Jeremiah 23:5-6: "The days are coming," declares the LORD (YHWH), "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD (YHWH) Our Righteousness.

       The righteous branch of David is generally believed to be a reference to Christ. Therefore, it is believed Christ is being called “The Lord (YHWH) Our Righteousness,” and therefore Christ is YHWH.  Since the Trinitarian God is seen as the one God YHWH and is an indwelling of Father, Son and Spirit, this passage is seen as YHWH the Father speaking about YHWH the Son in a Trinitarian relationship of Father, Son and Spirit.

       Does this mean Christ is YHWH?  We have YHWH declaring He will raise up to David a righteous branch who will be called “The Lord (YHWH) Our Righteousness.”  Under the Trinitarian perspective we would have to conclude YHWH the Father is raising up YHWH the Son as a righteous branch of David.    In view of all we have already covered in this book as to how Jesus is the agent of YHWH the Father; it is much more congruent with the rest of Scripture to see Christ called “YHWH Our Righteousness” as a title showing He is the representative of YHWH Elohim and not Himself YHWH Elohim. This would be similar to Christ being called Emanuel (God with us) where Christ wasn’t literally God but was God’s representative as we discussed earlier.

       Something or someone being called a certain name doesn’t mean they are literally what that name signifies.  In Jeremiah 33:16, Jerusalem is called, “The LORD (YHWH) Our Righteousness.”  Jerusalem is not literally YHWH.  The OT shows many titles for YHWH and these titles are used by OT characters in many ways to show YHWH’s involvement in their lives.  Abraham called the mountain upon which he was going to sacrifice Isaac, “The Lord (YHWH) will provide” (Genesis 22:14). Obviously the mountain wasn’t YHWH.  Moses built an altar and called it “the LORD (YHWH) is my banner” (Exodus 17:15). Obviously the altar wasn’t YHWH.  Gideon built an altar and called it “The Lord (YHWH) is our peace.”  Again, the altar wasn't YHWH.

       Scripture reveals Jesus is the righteousness of YHWH and not that Jesus is YHWH. Jesus was a reflection of the perfect righteousness that characterizes YHWH.  Jerusalem is called “The LORD (YHWH) Our Righteousness” because YHWH would display His righteousness there in the person of Christ Jesus.  This doesn’t make Jerusalem or Jesus YHWH but the vehicle through which YHWH’s righteousness is revealed.

       Scripture #15:  1 John 5:7: For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one (KJV, NKJV).

       This passage is first found in manuscripts of the Latin Vulgate which was a fourth century translation of the Greek NT into Latin.  In the Greek manuscripts that contain this passage it appears it was translated from the Latin into the Greek.  It is not found in any manuscripts that predate the Vulgate.  It was these post Vulgate Greek manuscripts that translators used to produce the KJV, NKJV and other English translations.  Therefore, this passage is found in these English versions of the NT.   Scholars have since determined this passage is a deliberate scribal insertion into the NT text in an apparent effort to give Scriptural support to the doctrine of the Trinity.  This passage is no longer included in translations of John’s epistle (See NIV, RSV, ASV, etc.) 

CHAPTER NINETEEN