They came to the conclusion 1000's of years ago, that G-d was at the very least, a Duality and probably more, but that He was a Unity at the same time, as there was never a disagreement among the G-dhead. It was only in the middle ages, when the debates were taking place between the Jews & the Christians, that the Rabbis became alarmed at the idea of the Jews assimilating into Christianity, that they made a concerted effort to begin teaching that G-d is an absolute ONE and no more than that. It was during this time, that Rabbi Moses ben Maimonides came up with his creed asserting that G-d is One & it has been echoed in the synagogues ever since. The Jewish teachers changed their doctrine to counteract outside influences, namely the Church.
There are two basic Hebrew words for "ONE" -Echad (masculine singular) and Yachid, which means only one. Echad can be used to illustrate unity, for e.g. - one bunch of grapes. There are many grapes but it is one bunch (echad) a unified one.
In Genesis 2:24, The L-rd separates the female part from Adam, & makes a woman & says, "therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall be ONE (echad) flesh. (Two people are ONE) This is a beautiful picture of the harmony of the G-dhead!
Just as a diamond has many facets, so does G-d. We cannot understand everything about G-d any more than an ant can understand us. There is a much greater gulf between G-d and man, than between the ant and man. In other words, if G-d says there is more to Him than one person, who are we to disagree?! Y'shua said "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father." And " I do always the things that please the Father." He was in complete harmony with the Father. He never said he came to please Himself.
There are so many examples of the various facets of G-d in the Bible.
Just to name a few: many of the prophecies about the Messiah show that He is
an eternal Person, with the same attributes as G-d, yet different.
In Micah 5:2, He is shown to be an everlasting person,
whose origins were from everlasting.
Isa. 7:14 -- another Messianic prophecy - His name is Imanuel,
which means, G-d with us. Isa. 9:6,7 calls the Messiah,
"Wonderful Counselor" (a name for the Holy Spirit of
G-d), "Mighty G-d", "Everlasting Father",
"Prince of Peace" ---all names for G-d!
In Psalm 2, the L-rd speaks of the Messiah as His Son and also speaks
of His reign on earth forever!
Many places in Scripture, it refers to a time and place where the Messiah
descended and inhabited a Body, which was prepared for him. Heb. 5:5,
10:3-7 This is not the least bit difficult for G-d to do - after all,
He created the universe and the angels, people & all living things! He
is G-d and can do whatever He wants!
It bothers some people that G-d "died" on the tree. G-d cannot die! The very essence of His Being is Eternal Life! The humanity (body) of Y'shua (Jesus) died on the tree. In order to save us, the L-rd descended and lived among us as a human being and showed us what Love is all about - self-sacrifice. If you want an ant to understand you, you have to become an ant & live as an ant.
Y'shua,(Jesus) became the perfect man - wholly G-d, wholly man; it is a mystery which we will never fully comprehend this side of heaven. He was a unique being, the second Adam: Innocent, sinless perfection, free from the tainted blood of mankind. A baby receives his blood from his father. Y'shua received his blood from His Father -G-d the Father. That's why He is called the Son of G-d. He is no less G-d, no less equal to G-d. He is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. One of the attributes of G-d is immutability - He cannot change His nature. That's why we can rely upon Him. He is Truth personified -yesterday, today and forever. He cannot change that, because He is an unchanging G-d.
In the western countries, for some reason, the son is thought of as less than the father. But in the Middle East, the son is thought of as an extension or continuation of the father and he is considered to be equal to the father.
In John 10:30, Y'shua was very clear about it - "I and the Father are one."
Remember the Rabbis' teaching about the "Memra" (Word of G-d) and how when the L-rd spoke, things happened worlds were created. This is what John was speaking of when he wrote in John 1:1 "In the beginning was The Word, and the Word was with G-d, and the Word was G-d. He was with G-d in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made." And again in verse 14: "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His Glory, the Glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
In John 8:58, Y'shua said, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was, I am."
Is the Messiah Y'shua G-d? YES! The Bible leaves no doubt about it. He existed prior to his incarnation as a human being and He is still alive! Colossians 1:15-17 says, "He is the image of the invisible G-d, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Our world is made up of tiny atoms, which are spinning at incredible speeds. The scientists have no answer for why these atoms hold together. By all the laws of nature, they should just all spin out of control and everything should fall apart, but the Bible says that Y'shua holds everything together.
The chapter goes on to say "For G-d was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him."
There are also many passages which talk of the Spirit of G-d as a separate Being. Y'shua told his disciples that the Father would send the Helper, the Holy Spirit after He had gone. John 14:26 The Prophet Joel spoke of a time when G-d would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Y'shua told His disciples all they had to do is ask & the Father would give them the Holy Spirit. Some of the Names of G-d are masculine, some are feminine. Some are singular and some are plural, but the Bible is clear that God is a Unified ONE in three persons. Deut. 6:4
We do not worship three G-ds - We worship One G-d. - Our G-d is a UNIFIED ONE; All persons within the G-dhead are in perfect harmony with one another. They can all be described as having the same attributes: Sovereignty, Perfect Righteousness, Love, Justice, Eternal Life, Omniscience, Omnipotence, Omnipresent, Truth, Immutability.
Many Christians refer to Him as the Trinity, that is, the Tri-unity, because we see three definitive personalities in the G-dhead. It is also possible and probable that we will see MUCH MORE to the G-dhead when we are in His Presence.
In Isaiah 48:12-16, we see at least three personalities listed there. G-d the Father, G-d the Messiah, and G-d the Holy Spirit. (Read the whole chapter) See also Jer. 23:5-6, Psalms 2, 80, Prov. 30:4, Hos. 5:1 through 6:6, & many others. Ask the Holy Spirit of G-d to open your mind to see His View of His Word. You will be pleasantly surprised and delighted with the treasures He shows you! Sometimes, the task being described is accomplished by the Father, sometimes by the Son, sometimes by the Spirit. All three were involved in the work of creation. All three were involved in the various phases of the work of redemption, but it was G-d the Son who hung on the tree and was willingly broken out of fellowship with the Father and Holy Spirit and bore our sins that we might be set free. Each member of the G-dhead did their part to give us the gift of eternal life.
The Father IS G-d, Jesus IS G-d, The Holy Spirit IS G-d, BUT the Father is NOT Jesus, Jesus is Not the Holy Spirit, The Holy Spirit is NOT the Father. They ARE G-d: They are One in their attributes: Separate, but United, They exist in perfect Harmony & Joy and want to share it with you!
One thing is sure, the L-rd wants us to understand Him, but even more, He wants us to know that He understands you and me! He cares about you and desires a relationship with you! He has promised that the Messiah is returning again! When He came the first time, it was as a Lamb to be sacrificed to resolve the sin problem, which separates G-d and mankind. He showed His love for us by taking the punishment that we deserved. When He comes again, He will come in judgment as the Lion of Judah. He will come as King with the armies of heaven to punish those who have refused to bow down to the L-rd and accept His FREE salvation. A Righteous Kingdom cannot be populated with Unrighteous individuals. There is no other name given under heaven whereby we can be saved other than the Name of Y'shua (Jesus)!
The Messiah is Returning very soon! "I saw heaven opened and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. His has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of G-d. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of G-d Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND L-RD OF LORDS!" Rev. 19:11-16 (see also Isa. 63:1-6)
"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what G-d has prepared for those who love him." I Cor. 2:9 It will be glorious to see the L-rd face to face and to enjoy His Presence forever! Are you ready?
Lura Maiman, Congregation Yeruel, Israel
