INTRODUCTION

Perhaps the best and simplest definition of the Trinity is that there is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal and co-equal Persons; the same in substance or essence but distinct in subsistence or existence. This has been a major area of conflict concerning the Scriptures. Throughout the history of Israel and the history of the Church, there has been tremendous opposition to this concept of the Triunity of God. "How could God be one, and how could God be three?"

THE PLURALITY OF THE GODHEAD

A. The Plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testament

In the first category, the Old Testament clearly teaches the concept of plurality in the Godhead on more than one occasion.

1. The Plural Noun Elohim

The Hebrew word for God that is most often used is the term Elohim, which means "God," and is used of both the true God and the many false gods. Genesis 1:1 states: In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth. Here the word is used of the true God. It is also used of the false gods in places like Exodus 20:3 and Deuteronomy 13:2. For example, among the Ten Commandments there is one that says: You shall have no other gods [Elohim] before me. Here, the same word is used of the pagan, foreign, idolatrous gods as is used of the true God. The point is that the Hebrew word for God, Elohim, is a plural noun and has the Hebrew masculine plural ending. Whenever it is used of the true God, it is always translated in the singular, but when it is used of false gods, it is always translated in the plural. The fact that the Hebrew word is plural when speaking of the only one true God opens the door to the concept of plurality. Of course, it is not a proof of plurality because, in Hebrew, there is the usage known as "the plural of majesty." However, it certainly opens the door to the discussion of the whole area of the plurality concept in the personality of the Godhead.

2. The Plural Verbs Used with Elohim

A second evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testament is where plural verbs are used with Elohim. Normally, when Elohim is used of the one true God, the verb used with it is singular. This goes contrary to normal Hebrew grammar because, in Hebrew grammar, the verb must agree with the noun both in gender and number. Normally, one would expect that with the plural noun Elohim, a plural verb form would be used. This is true when the word is used of false gods. Most of the time, whenever the word Elohim is used of the true God, the verb used with it is in the singular form to indicate that there is only one true God. But there are exceptions, and these again open the door for a discussion on the plurality in the Godhead. For example, Genesis 20:13a reads: …and it came to pass, when God caused me to wander… The Hebrew word that is translated caused me to wander is plural. Literally it reads, "And it came to pass, when they [in reference to God] caused me to wander." Another example is Genesis 35:7: And he built there an altar, and called the place El-beth-el; because there God was revealed unto him,… Here again, revealed unto him in Hebrew is a plural form which literally reads, "for there God revealed themselves." A third example is II Samuel 7:23: …God went to redeem… Again, the Hebrew word for went is plural, and literally reads, "[For] God they went to redeem." The fourth example is Psalm 58:11b (Hebrew Text 58:12): …there is a God that judges in the earth. The term that judges is a plural verb in Hebrew and it literally reads, "there is a God they judge."

3. The Noun Elohim Applied to Two Persons

The third line of evidence for plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testament is that the word Elohim, or God, is often applied to two different personalities within the same passage. There are two examples. In Psalm 45:6-7, the writer states: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: A scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness: Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows. Notice that the word God is actually applied to two different Persons within these two verses. He is addressing God, and after addressing God, he says that another God [had] anointed [the first God] with the oil of gladness above your fellows. It should be noted that in this verse the first Elohim is being addressed. The second Elohim is the God of the first Elohim. It is God’s God who has anointed Him with the oil of gladness. A second example is in Hosea 1:7: But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by Jehovah their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen. In this passage, the speaker is Elohim or God, who says: [He] will have mercy on the house of Judah, and will save them by [the instrumentality of] Jehovah their God [Elohim]. In other words, Elohim or God number one will save Israel by means of Elohim or God number two.

4. The Name YHVH Applied to Two Persons

The fourth line of evidence for the plurality of the Godhead in the Old Testament is the fact that the personal name of God, which is comprised of the four Hebrew letters corresponding to our English letters YHVH and sometimes translated "Jehovah," is applied to two different Persons in one passage. The first example is in Genesis 19:24: Then Jehovah rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Jehovah out of heaven;…In this verse, Jehovah number one rained fire and brimstone from a second Jehovah out of heaven. The first Jehovah is on earth; He is the One who had been speaking previously to Abraham. Jehovah had appeared to him at the oaks of Mamre, and had warned him about the coming destruction of Sodom. That Jehovah who was on the earth, Jehovah number one, was now raining fire and brimstone from Jehovah number two, who was in heaven. The term Jehovah, God’s personal name, is used here of two different Persons. A second example is Zechariah 2:8-9: For this says Jehovah of hosts: After glory has he sent me unto the nations which plundered you; for he that touches you touches the apple of his eye. For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they shall be a spoil to those that served them; and you shall know that Jehovah of hosts has sent me. This verse says that Jehovah number one is the speaker: For this says Jehovah of hosts. As He speaks, He says that He is being sent to accomplish a task by Jehovah number two. Again, there is one Jehovah sending another Jehovah to perform a specific task.

5. The Plural Pronouns

Plural pronouns are used of God in the Old Testament. One example is Genesis 1:26a: And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:… The words us, our, and our are plural pronouns in reference to God. God could hardly be including angels in the terms us, our, our, because man was to be created, not in the image of angels, but in the image of God. The pronouns us, our, our can only be a reference to God, not to any angel; and they are plural pronouns. A second example where the plural pronoun us is used in reference to God is found in Genesis 3:22a: And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us,… A third example where the plural pronoun us is again used is Genesis 11:7a: Come, let us go down, and there confound their language,… An example outside of the Book of Genesis is in the Prophets, Isaiah 6:8a: And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Notice, it starts out with a singular pronoun, but then changes to a plural: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? The singular shows that God is one, and the plural shows plurality in the Godhead. These plural pronouns clearly show that God is seen in terms of plurality.

6. The Plural Adjectives

A seventh line of evidence which shows the plurality of the Godhead from the Old Testament comes from the fact that God is also described in terms of plural adjectives. In English translations, these appear as nouns, but in the Hebrew text, these words are Hebrew adjectives. They are also in the plural form. For example, Joshua 24:19 reads in English, holy God. But the adjective holy is a plural form which literally reads, "holy Gods." A second example is Psalm 149:2, which in some English translations reads: in his Maker. The adjective that is translated Maker is plural in Hebrew; so, it literally reads, "Let Israel rejoice in his Makers." A third example is Ecclesiastes 12:1: thy Creator. Again, the word Creator is a plural adjective in Hebrew, and it literally reads, "thy Creators." Isaiah 54:5 has two examples. In English, the verse reads, thy Maker is thy husband. But both the terms Maker and husband are plurals in the Hebrew text and they read literally, "thy Makers, thy husbands" in reference to God. This, too, emphasizes the concept of a plurality.

B. The Plurality of the Godhead in the New Testament

In the second category, the plurality of the Godhead is also taught in the New Testament in that more than one Person is called God. For example, the Father is called God (Jn. 6:27; Gal. 1:1, 3). Secondly, the Son is called God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; Tit. 2:13; I Jn. 5:20). Thirdly, the Holy Spirit is also called God in Acts 5:3-9, where lying to the Holy Spirit is the same as lying to God, and in II Corinthians 3:17.

Summary: Throughout the Bible, the Scriptures clearly teach that there is plurality in the Godhead; the Godhead consists of more than one Person.

THE UNITY OF THE GODHEAD

The second area to be discussed is the unity of the Godhead, and to show that, while on the one hand the Bible teaches plurality in the Godhead, it never teaches a plurality of Gods as in Polytheism; only a plurality of Persons. There is one God, and this plurality is a unity of only one God.

A. The Unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament

"What is the evidence for the unity of the Godhead?" In dealing with the Old Testament, there are five specific evidences.

1. The Same Image and Likeness

The first evidence is found in Genesis 1:26, which states: …Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:… This passage was cited earlier in this article to show that there is a plurality in the Godhead. This same verse also shows a unity in the Godhead, because the speaker and the one spoken to have the same image and likeness: in our image, after our likeness. The plural pronouns our emphasize plurality. The fact that both the speaker and the one spoken to are of the same image and likeness, emphasizes their unity.

2. The Use of Singular Verbs with Plural Nouns

The second line of evidence for the unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is the fact that, although the word "God" in Hebrew is Elohim and is plural, it is almost always used with a singular verb, which is contrary to normal Hebrew grammar. The rules of Hebrew grammar require that the verb must agree with the noun in both gender and number. When the noun Elohim is used of the true God, being a plural noun it sometimes has a plural verb according to Hebrew grammar. Several examples of this were cited earlier as evidence of the plurality of the Godhead. But the fact that the vast majority of cases use the singular verb with Elohim emphasizes unity. An example is Genesis 1:1: In the beginning God [Elohim, a plural noun] created [a singular Hebrew verb]. It does not agree with the noun in number, thus violating normal Hebrew grammar. This violation of the normal Hebrew grammar in the majority of cases where the word Elohim is used of the true God also shows unity in the Godhead.

3. The Use of Singular and Plural Forms Together

A third line of evidence for the unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is the use of El Elohim. El is the singular form, and Elohim is the plural form; but both are used together in one verse of the same God. One example is Genesis 33:20: And he erected there an altar, and called it El-Elohe-Israel. El is the singular, but Elohe is the construct state of Elohim, which is a plural form. So, literally it reads, "God, the Gods of Israel." The fact that the singular is followed by the plural and that both words refer to the one true God emphasizes unity. A second example where both the singular and the plural are used together, is Joshua 22:22: The Mighty One, God, Jehovah, the Mighty One, God, Jehovah, he knows; and Israel he shall know: if it be in rebellion, or if in trespass against Jehovah (save thou us not this day),…The Hebrew word translated as The Mighty One is the word El, which is the singular word for God. The word translated God is Elohim and it is a plural noun which means "God" or "gods." The word translated Jehovah is God's personal name: El, Elohim, Jehovah. Jehovah is God's personal name; Elohim emphasizes His plurality; but, the singular El emphasizes His unity. So, unity can be seen in the use of El Elohim, the singular and plural used together of one and the same God.

4. The Use of the Compound One

The fourth line of evidence for unity of the Godhead in the Old Testament is in Deuteronomy 6:4; a very famous verse for Jewish people. Deuteronomy 6:4 is called the sh'ma, and it is considered the essence of all forms of Judaism. That verse reads: Hear, 0 Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah:…This verse, more than any other, emphasizes the concept of a unity. In the field of Jewish evangelism, Deuteronomy 6:4 is often used by Jewish people to teach against the plurality of the Godhead. But, if this verse is studied very carefully, it is evident that it is not teaching an absolute unity, but a compound unity. Rather than arguing against a plurality of the Godhead, Deuteronomy 6:4 actually supports the concept of plurality in the Godhead. To begin with, it should be pointed out that where it reads Jehovah our God the Hebrew word for God is plural, and literally reads, "our Gods." But, the key word to focus attention on is the word one.

a. Echad

The Hebrew word for one is echad. By comparing the usage of echad elsewhere in the Old Testament, it is clear that this word refers to a compound one, not an absolute one. For example, Genesis 1:5 states: And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. The combination of evening and morning comprised the unity of echad, or one day. Another key passage is Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. A man and a woman who come together in marriage are said to become one [echad] flesh. There are two personalities, a man and a woman, coming together in marriage, and the two become one. Obviously, they do not become an absolute one, for they retain their separate personalities; however, there is definitely a unity there. Another example is Ezra 3:1, where the whole assembly of Israel was as one [echad]. Although it was comprised of numerous individuals, they were all looked upon as one; obviously a united one. Another example is Ezekiel 37:17, where Ezekiel is told to put two sticks together, and they are combined to become one [echad] stick. These examples of the usage of the word echad in the Hebrew text, which is the very same word used in Deuteronomy 6:4, show that it speaks of a compound unity, not an absolute unity.

b. Yachid

There is another Hebrew word which does mean an absolute one: yachid. It is used in Genesis 22:2, where it emphasizes Isaac as Abraham's only, unique son. So, if Moses had wanted to emphasize absolute oneness of God, he would have used the term yachid. But he did not use that term for the oneness of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 is, therefore, an argument in favor of the plurality of the Godhead and, at the same time, it teaches the unity of this plurality of the one God.

5. Jehovah Declared to Be One

The fifth line of evidence of the unity of the Godhead from the Old Testament is, that Jehovah is declared to be one [echad] in Zechariah 14:9.

B. The Unity of the Godhead in the New Testament

In the New Testament, the unity of the Godhead is taught in Ephesians 4:4-6; I Timothy 2:5; and James 2:19.

Continued in The Trinity Part Two.