Appeal to beloved Messianic Jews to reject trinity!

This is a special appeal to the greatly beloved Messianic Jewish community to reject the pagan trinitarian view of the God of Abraham and Yeshua. The messianic community is very special because they have a leadership role to play in the true Christian community as opposed to the Nicene Christendom. The rest of the Christendom must look up to them for guidance, hence my appeal to them to reject this strange concept of God that was never taught or believed by the prophets of old.

The Shema

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.”

Deuteronomy 6:4

First, it is surprising and new to me that some of the beloeved Messianic Jews try to prove trinity from the very verse that opposes trinity. Some claim that ‘echad’ is not the Hebrew word for ‘one’ in Deuteronomy 6:4. I had to consult my Hebrew bible and I found echad instead of Yachad. The Shema is very fundamental and foundation in understanding the ONE true living God, so I am interested if anyone could further point out to me the Hebrew version with the plural ‘yachad’ instead of the singular ‘echad’.

Plurality of God in the Hebrew Bible?

Some Messianic Jews rightly point out apparent contradictions of the fact that the God of the Bible is one, from the Hebrew Bible. I am going to examine all of those issues shortly.

These apparent contradictions tend to suggest that ‘trinity’ must then be the best explanation for these apparent discrepancies. I mean the points raised does not itself prove trinity (which of course is a gentile concept very strange to the prophets, apostles and holy Jews of old) in any way because Trinity says that the spirit of God is actually a person, and that the Messiah is actually co-EQUAL and co-ETERNAL with Hashem his Father!

A Messianic Jew’s statement of Faith (SOF) which is inline with trinity theory of God says: “We believe in one God, eternally existent in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Question is that since we know the Father as the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the Bible, we also know the son as Jesus (Yahoshua) the son of God and messiah of God(!), we also know the spirit as the spirit *of* God, who then is this God that is eternally existent in God, Jesus and spirit of God? How does this even make biblical sense?

2. If Jesus was fully God, then he (or at least part of him) did not really die since under no circumstance will God die even for a second.

3. If Jesus was fully God and coequal with God, then he was not really the son of God, he may have appeared as one but was not really God’s son as the Bible says, since he is equal with God and almighty God himself. Hence the Catholics coined the phrase ‘GOD THE SON’ which is not found anywhere in the scriptures, but a product of their lack of faith in believing that Jesus is really the son of God. “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.” 1 John 4:15. Also note John’s style of writing that appears to suggest that Christians are also part of trinity.

4. The resurrection of Jesus’s body shows that the man Jesus died and rose again. It was Jesus that rose and his ascended with his changed body.

Other points like Jesus present role in heaven as a priest (high priest), a mediator, a heir of God and sitting in the right hand of God, not knowing when he will come again but only the Father knows, etc. clearly shows that the pagan concept of trinity is not in any way right to explain the ONE true God of Abraham and Jacob, neither is it the best explanation of the apparent discrepancies you have raised.

In all humility, I should say that you being a Jew, ought to be the very first to rebuke the gentile Christians for such absurdity and idolatry and not you seeking to conform with a. Gentile Christians must look up to you as leaders because to you belong this promise, you read the Bible in Hebrew, we can only follow you irrespective of when or what time you guys were revived as Jewish believers in Yeshua. Solving this problem also will make it easier to convert the rest of your brethren the Jews because they are RIGHT when they say that the God of the Bible is not TRINITY.

In conclusion before I respond to the other arguments that supports trinity, please kindly note that the reason the so-called church fathers persecuted and extinguished the Nazarenes and Ebionites was because these authentic groups from the Jerusalem church rejected trinity and considered Jesus the Son of God and a prophet. We are not sure they rejected the virgin birth as no writing from them survived but their enemies the Catholics appear to have implied that since they rejected the so-called incarnation and emphasised on Christ’s humanity, they therefore rejected the virgin birth. This is very unlikely for a community that had the Matthew Gospel and that GENUINELY traced their Christianity to Peter the apostle.

Here is an excerpt of Jerome’s letter to Augustine where he feared that accepting the Jewish Christians would make them Jews as if it’s not a privilege for gentiles to become Jews:

“In our own day there exists a sect among the Jews throughout all the synagogues of the East, which is called the sect of the Minei, and is even now condemned by the Pharisees. The adherents to this sect are known commonly as Nazarenes; they believe in Christ the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary; and they say that He who suffered under Pontius Pilate and rose again, is the same as the one in whom we believe. But while they desire to be both Jews and Christians, they are neither the one nor the other. I therefore beseech you, who think that you are called upon to heal my slight wound, which is no more, so to speak, than a prick or scratch from a needle, to devote your skill in the healing art to this grievous wound, which has been opened by a spear driven home with the impetus of a javelin. For there is surely no proportion between the culpability of him who exhibits the various opinions held by the fathers in a commentary on Scripture, and the guilt of him who reintroduces within the Church a most pestilential heresy. If, however, there is for us no alternative but to receive the Jews into the Church, along with the usages prescribed by their law; if, in short, it shall be declared lawful for them to continue in the Churches of Christ what they have been accustomed to practise in the synagogues of Satan, I will tell you my opinion of the matter: they will not become Christians, but they will make us Jews.”

https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1102075.htm

Response to Messianic Jews argument for trinity

ON ELOHIM:

Because this is a very serious and fundamental issue, we must make sure that our interpretation is FAIR. In all fairness, the patriarchs, Moses, and every other holy prophet who had a relationship with God never understand God as being a PLURAL in unity. They understand God to be one despite using the term ‘Elohim’ which is plural. Why that?

1. The first thing of note is that the word ‘Elohim’ is not of itself holy and exclusive to the one living God of Abraham. Why Elohim then? Moses and the Jews simply adopted the Canaanitish word for God in describing the God of the Bible just as we say ‘God’ today without minding its etymology. This is very important because Moses and the Israelites needed to speak of Hashem to people around in the language they understood of God. Unfortunately, the Canaanitish people and others were not monotheistic like the Israelites hence their use of Elohim. This is why Laban asked Jacob: “wherefore hast thou stolen my gods (ELOHIM)?’ Genesis 31:30. The inadequacy of Elohim is the reason Moses further asked for the name of God.
2. The spirit may have allowed Moses to use Elohim despite its pagan connotation because although God is one, the same God manifests Himself in His angels, so the LXX translates the messianic Psalm 8:5 as “Thou madest him a little less than angels (ELOHIM)…” while others render it as Heavenly beings. On this principle of GOD’S MANIFESTATION, I will come back because this is the biblical principle that explains the discrepancies that was raised in the apparent contradictions of the singularity of the God of the Bible.
3. So, when Elohim said, ‘let us make man in our own image’, this was the LORD speaking to non-other but His angels which is a biblical fact. “6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:6,7.

ON PANAI

If Exodus 33:14,15 says ‘faces’ as in the literal translation, would this be the face of God, Jesus and Holy spirit? Certainly not. What about the same Exodus 35:20 that says: “Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses.” Cf. Genesis 4:6. Therefore when context permits, the word can be translated as ‘before’ as in LXX or ‘presence’. Even at that, we know that what went before the Israelites was the glory of the LORD. The most biblical pointer to the faces of the glory of God would be in the Cherubim/Seraphim as in Isaiah 6:2,3 which is very much connected to the glory of God than the very strange trinity!

SOLUTION: GOD MANIFESTATION and NOT trinity!

How then is the LORD one and yet sometimes we read of 2 LORD(s) or multiple Elohim? How could people see God, yet the scripture maintains that no one has ever seen God and lived?

RUACH KODESH: Moses and the prophets clearly understood that although there is one true God who seats eternally heavens, He is yet everywhere by His spirit: “7 Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!” Psalm 139:7.8. This throws a light but does not explain how people could see YHWH and still lived.

God-manifestation. Michael?: The biblical principle of God manifestation which may be referred to as Theophany explains it all! Although God is eternally seated in heaven and has presence in everywhere through His spirit, He can still manifest Himself in another being by His spirit so that that person becomes YHWH or ELOHIM to men and women! So, out of the 3 angels that visited Abraham, only one was YHWH. Abraham saw this YHWH and yet lived which must mean that this YHWH was not literally the glorious God who dwells in unapproachable light. Of course, I would imagine God living his throne vacant and coming down to the earth. He rather manifests Himself to a special angel who manifests God in a more special and glorious way than the rest of the angels. Who then is this angel? We know him as God Himself explained to the Israelites:

“20 Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. 21 Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.” Exodus 23:20,21. This is only an angel who had become very special and glorious because God’s name is in him! What is God’s name? YHWH! So, this explains why YHWH could appear to mortal and yet they lived!! Who then is this angel and YHWH that men could see? I don’t know. But it appears to me to be the same one Daniel revealed to us as MICHAEL. I say so because the name ‘Michael’ can also mean ‘One who is like God’ and Daniel introduced him as the great prince who stands for Israel (Dan 12:1) which appear to refer to the YHWH angel of the wilderness. But please don’t take the identification as Michael very serious as we can’t know for sure. But the point is that God can manifest His glory on another being who appears to humans as YHWH. So, for the case of Abraham seeing YHWH, you would observe that there is YHWH in heaven that Abraham could not see: “Then the LORD caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven” Genesis 19:24

How about Yeshua the son of God?

The question is that angels could bear the name of God, how about the son of God Himself! Yeshua even has more right and claim to God’s name and glory because he is the son of God! Remember that the messianic prophecy of Jesus is clear that he would come in the name of YHWH! “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We bless you from the house of the LORD.” Psalm 118:26 cf. Matthew 23:39. Yeshua is not the angelic YHWH of the Hebrew scriptures but when he appeared, he rightly became YHWH as the son and heir! This is why the messianic prophecies speaks of YHWH instead of Jesus reigning on earth. For example, Zechariah spoke of the feet of YHWH touching mount Olives on that day Zechariah 14:4 and of YWHW reigning on earth in verse 9. This can not be God Himself who seats eternally in an unapproachable light! That is the Moshiach is also in no way coequal or coeternal with God!

This principle of God manifestation is what the Catholics couldn’t grasp as they were not well grounded in Hebrew scriptures, hence they invented another God that is trinity. But Jews certainly knows better that God is not trinity.

Is John 1:1-3 about trinity or pre-existence of Christ?

No! People think that this verse supports trinity and that is because the Jewishness of this verse is almost lost! Before then, the verses say: “1. In the beginning was the word (logos), and the Word (logos) was with the divine (ton Theon), and the word was God (Theos). 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3. All things were made through it; and without it was not anything made that hath been made.”

It is almost impossible to understand this opening verse without a background of the Jewishness of it. In the first century, a very influential Jewish philosopher known as Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, commenting on Genesis 1 creation, opined that God is too holy and pure to come into contact with physical matter. He suggested rather that the creation was done through an intermediary agent of God which is called the Logos or the Word which he also referred to as the first born of God. He got this idea of personification of the Logos from Isaiah 55:11: “so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Also supported by the fact that nothing was actually created or came into existence until God spoke His WORD or Logos/dabar. This means that the physical creation is only a product of this Word of God which is not different from God, and therefore is God.

Encyclopedia Britannica entry on Philo and his logos philosophy says:

“Philo saw the cosmos as a great chain of being presided over by the Logos, a term going back to pre-Socratic philosophy, which is the mediator between God and the world, though at one point he identifies the Logos as a second God…In anticipation of Christian doctrine he called the Logos the first-begotten Son of God, the man of God, the image of God, and second to God.”

(Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Philo Judaeus”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Philo-Judaeus. Accessed 21 February 2024.)

John the apostle only picked up this popular Jewish teaching of his time and used it to prove the virgin birth or divine paternity of Christ without narrating the nativity story. John’s mission was to show that the same creative word that God used in the beginning, was the same Logos that God put into Gabriel’s mouth by which Jesus was formed or created in Mary’s womb without man’s intervention. This means that the father of Jesus is the Logos of God which is also God! So, in verse 14, John wrote that the Logos became flesh and dwelt among us. This is not a teaching of pre-existence of Christ or incarnation but the very fact that after thousands of years of the end of creation, God used the same Logos to create a new Adam or man who is Yeshua the son of God! In this way, Christ could trace his ancestry to David through Mary as the scriptures prophesied, but he could also traced his paternal ancestry to heaven through the Logos from heaven. This theme runs through the gospel of John as if Jesus literally came down from heaven. John is in way claiming that Jesus is coequal with God as trinity claims, rather John 14:28 clearly says: “You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”

Colossians 1:15-19 – Spiritual and not the physical creation

Adam was made in the image of God but he failed, and therefore the whole first creation failed too or they groan. Jesus the last Adam was also made in the image of God and Paul used this imagery of Genesis creation (note Philo’s influence too) to speak of the new spiritual creation of the Church who exists by/because of Jesus Christ! Fullness of God dwelling in Jesus is nothing but the Hebrew Bible principle of God manifestation I have already explained! God’s name indeed was in Christ. God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, Hallelujah! This clearly shows that there is an invisible God and there is Jesus the man through whom God is revealing Himself to the world. Jesus therefore has become Elohim or YHWH to us just as Abraham saw God and lived! Anyone who sees Jesus had seen YHWH and yet lives. But no one can see the invisible God the Father of Jesus and live! But we behold Christ every day, to the glory of God!

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” 1 Timothy 2:5.

God bless you the remnant and God bless the house of Israel. Shalom Jerusalem.