Why the God of the Bible cannot be three-in-ONE GOD (Part III)

Preamble

There are three widely held beliefs regarding the Personality of God, also referred to as the Godhead. These are the (1) Trinity Doctrine, (2) Oneness Doctrine, and (3) Twoness Doctrine. Which of these teachings do you subscribe to? (Extract taken from a sermon by Pastor Enock Katere (PhD) entitled: "the truth about the Godhead."

Introduction

God did not have a body throughout the Old Testament, but appeared to the people in many forms, such as the Burning Bush to Moses, the Cloud by day, and the Pillar of Fire at night, to the children of Israel. Though He sent His angels to many people, no one ever saw God in actual form until the birth of Jesus Christ.

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him," says John 1:18.

God is a spiritual being

According to the Bible, "God is a Spirit; and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth" (John 4:24). God the Father stated in Isaiah 43 and 45 that He is the only God... "And [there is] no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; [there is] none beside Me." (Isa. 45:21). "There was no God formed before Me, and there will be no God formed after Me." "I, even I, [am] the LORD, and there is no Saviour beside me." (Isa. 43:10-11)

In these texts, we can clearly see that there is only one God (not two or three, as some believe), for Elohim (the self-existent One) stated unequivocally in His very First Commandment, "Thou shalt have NO other gods before Me..."(Exo. 20:3)

God appeared in flesh

Thus, God fulfilled His purpose of salvation, as stated in 1 Timothy 3:16: "And without controversy, great is the mystery of Godliness, God was manifest in the flesh."

When did God take on flesh? It was when Jesus Christ was born through a woman; without any ensuing sexual act, but God Himself producing both hemoglobin and egg cells in Mary's womb, God Himself taking on the form of a man.

Jesus Christ was the FLESH of God, God Himself forming a BODY of His own. The fleshly BODY was referred to as the "SON," while the SPIRIT indwelling that body was referred to as the "FATHER." There are no longer two Gods, but only God in FLESH. That is why Jesus declared, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30). The apostle Philip once stated to Jesus (John 14:8-9), "Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." And Jesus replied, "Have I been with you for so long and yet have you not known Me, Philip?" "Whoever has seen ME has seen the Father."

"Jesus" means "Jehovah has become our Saviour" in Hebrew. Jesus was also known as "Emmanuel," which means "God WITH US," or "God dwelling with men."

When the Father decided to come down as our Saviour, He put on a fleshly robe and deposited Himself as a seed in Mary's womb. This seed would bear the flesh and blood of the Body in which He would dwell as the Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is God becoming man in order to reconcile man to Himself. Because God is everlasting, He cannot die in the Spirit. However, He was required to put on a MASK and ACT the part of death. He did die, but He couldn't do so as God. He had to do it in the form of a SON, as a Son of Man on Earth.

Jesus, the invisible God's image

In Colosians 2 : 9-10, the apostle Paul says of Jesus, "For in HIM all the FULLNESS of the GODHEAD dwells BODILY, and ye are complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power"..."In Whom we have REDEMPTION through His BLOOD, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the IMAGE of the INVISIBLE GOD... And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist"

JESUS is thus the EXPRESS IMAGE of the invisible God, God constructing His own FLESH-BODY. And man could only see God via Jesus Christ, the FLESH of God.

The three dispensation of the one God

God was known as "God ABOVE US" in the Old Testament, during the Fatherhood dispensation. God resides in the heavenlies, where no one can ever touch Him.

When the time for the Sonship Dispensation arrived, fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 9:6, "For to us a child is born, for to us a SON is given: the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty GOD, and everlasting FATHER, Prince of Peace," these all pertain to the FLESH of God - JESUS, being God Himself becoming Emmanuel, which being interpreted "God WITH us"

It was also God fulfilling Isaiah 53:5, "But He (God) was WOUNDED for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him: and by His stripes we are healed" - all of which was accomplished and completed at the Cross of Calvary.

God has returned His Holy Spirit, the Comforter, to indwell every believer in these latter days, after Jesus was risen and glorified. As a result, we are currently in the HOLY GHOST Dispensation.

"What?" says 1 Cor. 6:19-20. Do you not realize that your body is the TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit, which is IN YOU, and that you are not your own? Because you were purchased with a price, praise GOD IN YOUR BODY AND IN YOUR SPIRIT, which are God's."

Jesus Spirit in the church

JESUS is the same Holy Spirit, as He stated in John 14:18, "I will not leave you comfortless, "I" (Personal Pronoun) WILL COME TO YOU." "I will be with you, even inside of you, until the end of the world." This is also stated in Galatians 4:6: "And because ye are sons, God has sent forth the SPIRIT of His SON into your hearts, crying Abba, Father."

Jesus’ own Spirit is now “God IN Us”, the “Hope of Glory” (Colossians 1:27). It is the SELF-SAME GOD all the time, never changing His power, just changed His form from the heavenly to the earthly, and then back again as the Great Spirit, after having fulfilled His great redemptive story.

In His Fatherhood dispensation, He was "GOD ABOVE US," "GOD WITH US" in His Sonship dispensation, and now "GOD IN US" in the Holy Spirit dispensation.

"I AM ALPHA AND OMEGA, the Beginning and the End, saith the Lord, Which IS, WHICH WAS, and WHICH IS TO COME, THE ALMIGHTY," Jesus stated. (Rev.1:8) ONE GOD in three dispensations, not three personalities in one God.

JESUS is both man and God

One day, Jesus remarked to the Jews, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he was glad." 'Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?' asked the Jews. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:56-58).

Who was the legendary "I AM"? Remember the blazing fire that spoke to Moses on the holy mountain? That was the same Jesus who said "I AM" to the Jews. They were blind to the fact that Jesus was their own God VEILED IN FLESH.

"The Jews replied him, saying, "We stone thee not for a good work, but for blasphemy, and because Thou, being man, makest Thyself God" (John 10:33). They completely missed the fact that He was the Emmanuel - both MAN and GOD. Jesus is also the WORD who became FLESH and lived among us (John 1:1,14).

JESUS was undoubtedly a guy in mourning at the tomb of Lazarus. But when He yelled, "Lazarus, come forth!" and a dead man, stinking for four days, arose and lived again, that was more than a MAN! Only God has the power to revive the dead.

He was a hungry man hunting for food on a tree that night. But He was more than a man when He took five loaves and two fish and fed five thousand people. That was JEHOVAH, the creator!

He was a man sleeping and fatigued on the ship that night as the seas rose. But once he sprang up and rebuked the winds and waves, exclaiming, "Peace be still!" That was greater than a man. That was God, Who has complete power over nature.

"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" cried the man on the cross. But on Easter morning, when He broke the seals of death, hell, and the grave and rose from the dead, He said, "I AM HE that was dead, and behold, I AM ALIVE FOREVERMORE!"Who was he? That same God said, "I have power to lay down my life and raise it up again" (John 10:18).

Jesus, returning to a "Pillar of Fire"

Remember that Jesus ascended into the heavens after his death, burial, and resurrection. When SAUL of Tarsus was on His way to Damascus to persecute Christians (Acts 9:1-5), a BIG LIGHT, a PILLAR of FIRE struck him, and he asked, "LORD, who are You?" SAUL recognized the Pillar of FIRE as the same one who appeared to Moses, but the Pillar of FIRE responded, saying, "I AM JESUS, whom thou persecutest." See, He had RETURNED, EXACTLY TO THE SAME FORM as before He took on a FLESH tabernacle - the Pillar of FIRE that met Moses in the wilderness.

Remember, it was the SAME Pillar of Fire who appeared to PETER that night and freed him from the prison cell (Read Acts 12:5-7).

On the Day of PENTECOST, that SAME Pillar of Fire (Cloven Tongues of Fire) appeared and set on each of those in the upper room, separating Himself and giving part of His Spirit to His congregation (Acts 2). "Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that SAME JESUS, whom ye have crucified, BOTH LORDAND CHRIST," Peter proclaimed in Acts 2:36. There He is - LORD (Fatherhood), JESUS (Sonship), CHRIST (Anointed Holy Ghost) - The LORD JESUS CHRIST, the ONE TRUE GOD in full manifestation.

Finally, examine the following: What was the name of Jesus' FATHER? According to Matthew 1:18, "she (Mary) was found with child of the HOLY GHOST." However, Jesus stated that GOD was His FATHER. As a result, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit became ONE, OR ELSE JESUS HAD TWO FATHERS. But take note that Jesus said, "I and My FATHER ARE ONE," NOT TWO. That means there is only ONE GOD, not three.

The Bible says nothing about a First, Second, or Third Person in a ONE GOD. "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," 1 Timothy 3:16 says. The ONE TRUE GOD manifested himself in the FLESH. That's how easy it is. GOD CAME IN THE FORM OF A HUMAN. That did not make Him a new God. GOD, THE SAME GOD, HE WAS.

If you cannot embrace the TRUTH of the Godhead but deny it, Jesus says you are still in SIN; for He says in John 8:24, "For if ye believe NOT that I AM HE (God), ye shall die in your sins." "He that believeth not on the SON shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).