CHAPTER 8
God is plural yet singular
Genesis 1:26,27 says,
"26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them."
I see that God said, "Let US" and then in verse 27, it says, "...in HIS own image,..." This is one of God's first illustrations of his nature being plural yet singular. And if it is just "manifestations" then God is talking to his manifestations up there. Which I find rather strange. I was a "Jesus only" at one time but it just didn't fit the word of God as a whole. I kept ignoring the times where God speaks as a plural and justified it by saying that he is talking to his "human nature" when he became a man but other times that didn't work as the one above and the ones below. (Emphasis mine)
Genesis 11:6-8
"6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city."
I see the LORD is talking and then he says, "...let us go down, and there confound their language,..." Then it verse 8 it says, "So the LORD scattered them abroad..." So did they do it or did he do it?
I am mainly dealing with the nature of God here but I would like to point out something else that is rather strange. In Gen. 11:6 I also see that God says, "Behold, the people is one..." God is showing us that even though there are a lot of people, they are a "united" one, they have one purpose, etc. God is helping us to see clearer by these hints that he is a "united" one not an absolute numerical one.
Tying this in with Matt. 19:4-6 which says,
"4 And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female,
5 And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh?
6 Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
Here we see that a man and woman become one flesh when they are married and come together as husband and wife in the physical. He says, "and they twain shall be one flesh?" The two become one flesh in the physical act since the word also shows me that a harlot and a man become one flesh through the sexual act in
I Cor. 6:16
"16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh."
But in a marriage they are to be "one" in a lot more than just the physical but that it another subject.
Back to the nature of God.
Isaiah 6:8 says,
"8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me."
God goes from singular to plural. He wants to know who will go for "us".
John 14
1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
8 Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
23 Jesus answered and said unto him, 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.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
25 These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.
26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
All through John 14 I see the plurality of God yet his singleness.
Let 's look at one of the clearest verses on the tri-unity of God in the New Testament.
It is in I John 5:7
"7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
That is a pretty clear scripture. God is three yet he is one...
Some types of trinities in the world.
You are a trinity. I am soul, body, and spirit. My body is not my soul, my soul is not my spirit but I am one person comprised of three.
I Thess 5:23
"23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Space is a trinity. Space is one of my favorite types of the tri-unity of God. Space is comprised of height, depth, and width. It takes all three to make one space. In basically the same way, God is a spirit being and he is everywhere present. Yet this one God is comprised of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Another of my favorite "trinities" is time. Time is composed of past, present, and future yet it is still time. Past is not present, present is not future but it is "one" time, so to speak. All three are what we know as time yet they are different and the same.
Another good one is matter. Matter is in three states which are solid, liquid, and gas. Solid is not liquid and liquid is not gas but they are "one" matter. What's the matter? Don't you follow that? Matter is an interesting one too. Ice is a solid. When it melts, it is a liquid. And when you heat it, it becomes a "gas" or steam. That same truth can be said for a lot of other things.
All types and figures of the God of the bible will fall apart in certain areas, no matter what we deal with within certain trinities. These are just a few types of the real thing, God!
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