Interesting Questions-59

An unbiblical teaching
(Genesis 1:26; 1 John 5:7; John 10:30)

Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, February 2004, p.3

THESE ARE SOME of the questions I have gathered that assert that the Father, the Word, and  the Holy Ghost are one. The answers to these questions point to the existence of the Holy Trinity. I was reading the Bible when I noticed that it said in Genesis 1 ;26, "Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves".  If God is the creator, who was God referring to in the pronouns "us," "our," "ourselves" in the said verse?  Don't these pronouns imply that there was   someone with God?  Perhaps The Word or the Holy Ghost?  Because in I John 5:7 it said, "For there are three that  bear record  in  heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."   Also in St. John 10:30 it states, "I and the Father are one. "Don't these verses imply that they are in fact one"?

pfopdoodle@hotmail.com

Editor's reply:

      Genesis 1:26 is usually used to back up the point by proponents of the so-called Trinitarian doctrine. In order to fully understand Genesis 1:26 let us quote the verse in its entirety:

     “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness: let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth’.” (New King James Version)

     It is admitted that Genesis 1:26 implies plurality. But plurality simply means “more than one.” Why limit the number to three and why involve the Son and the Holy Spirit?

     We should notice that nowhere in the verse does not it state that the pronouns “us” and “our” refer to the “Word” or the “Holy Ghost” as you suggest. God alone created all things (Gen. 1:27; Is. 44:24; 37:16). Then whom was the Lord referring to with the pronouns “us” and “our”? The Father was referring to those who were already in existence then-the Cherubs or the angels (Job 38:4-7; Gen. 3:22, 24).

     You quoted I John 5:7 of the King James Version to prove that “perhaps” the “Word” or the “Holy Ghost” was with God during creation. This verse cannot be used as a conclusive basis for the alleged Trinitarian doctrine. The authenticity of I John 5:7-8 of the King James Version has long been in question. The statement in the said verses-“… in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth”-is what Bible scholars commonly call the “Johannine Comma.” Scholars seriously question the authenticity of the Comma because it is absent in all the ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament (New Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 7, p. 1004). The Johannine Comma started as a gloss or a commentary, but it eventually found its way into the text itself (Ibid.). The rendition of I John 5:7-8 of the King James Version is clearly erroneous. And granting without conceding for the sake of argument that the verse indeed exists and speaks of the “Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost,” still there no mention that these three are one God or Trinitarian God-they simply are one in bearing witness.

     You also quoted John 10:30, to imply that God and Christ “were in fact one [God]” because of Christ’s statement “I and my Father are one.” First, we should bear in mind that nowhere in the verse does it state that Christ and the Father are one God. If we examine the preceding verses of John 10:30, we can clearly see that the topic being discussed by Christ is the work of caring for His sheep. The issue is neither whether or not Christ is God nor whether or not He is one of the so-called ‘persons’ of God. Christ stated thus:

     “I give them eternal life and they will never perish; no one will snatch them from care. My Father who has given them to me is greater than all, and no one can snatch them out of the Father’s care. The Father and I are one.” (Jn. 10:28-30, Revised English Bible).

     It is clear that, in these verses, Christ was speaking about caring for the sheep entrusted to Him by the Father. Christ cares so much for His sheep that no one will be able to snatch them from Him. In like manner, He then states, “no one can snatch them out the Father’s care.” Hence, His conclusion, “The Father and I are one.” In other rendition of the verse it says: “I and my father are of one accord” (Lamsa Translation).

     No accurately translated version of the Bible teaches about the Trinity. In fact, the Trinitarian doctrine directly violates the biblical teaching about the true God. Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Apostles taught that there is only one true God-the Father (Jn. 17:1, 3; I Cor. 8:6). God Himself proclaimed, “…there is no other god besides me” (Is. 45:21, Revised Standard Version).

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Bible Study Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free to visit the Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question you have in mind.