Q & A with John Metzger

Author of the new book: Discovering the Mystery of the Unity of God.

We caught up with Ariel Ministries' very own John Metzger to discuss his new book on the tri-unity of God. Metzger explains why he wrote this book, and how he took this complex and rather complicated subject matter and turned it into something that is understandable for both Jewish and Gentile believers and effective for Jewish evangelism.

Ariel Ministries: What prompted the idea to write a book about the Trinity?

John Metzger: I had to write a thesis paper for my masters at Lancaster Bible College and Graduate School. Since I had been involved in Jewish ministries, I had wanted to do something that would benefit me and others. I also said to myself, “I am not writing this book if it will sit on a seminary library shelf and never be used.” Little did I know, at the time, that I had chosen a topic that very little had been written about.

Ariel: How is this book different from other books (or studies) on this topic?

Metzger: The difference between this book and all the others written on the Trinity is that everyone starts from the New Testament, but Jewish people do not believe in the New Testament. So I decided to prove the plurality of God, or the tri-unity of God, from the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament). If Jesus is God, then it must be clearly presented by the Hebrew Scriptures so that other believers can present the tri-unity of God and the deity of Messiah to Jewish people. Many Jewish people will recognize the Tanakh as their Scripture (Tanakh is the Jewish term for the Old Testament).

Ariel: In your “Preface”, you state that the purpose of this book is "two-fold". Can you please explain?

Metzger: Jewish people and Judaism rejects the teaching of the tri-unity of God as a concept borrowed by the Church from pagans in the 3rd century CE, and that it is not in the Tanakh (the Hebrew Scriptures). According to them, Jesus cannot be God. The redemptive plan of God that true believers of the New Testament present is not valid for them. So once again, studying the tri-unity of God from the Tanakh is of utmost importance. It is also crucial that we do not read Christian doctrines back into the Tanakh. On the contrary, the Tanakh is the foundation for all the doctrines taught in the New Testament. This book is a direct challenge for Jewish people to look at what God is saying in the Tanakh, and compare it with what the rabbis have taught since the time of Messiah.

I also wrote this book for believers so that they can be equipped from the Tanakh in order to present the Hebrew Scriptures to Jewish people, showing that Moses and the prophets spoke clearly concerning the nature and essence of the tri-unity of God and the deity of Messiah in the Tanakh.

Ariel: Do you find that there is much ignorance in the belief system amongst Christians (or Jews, or even Messianic Jews) when it comes to the Trinity?

Metzger: Amongst Jewish people, there is a complete ignorance on this subject. Rabbinic Judaism has taught, since the time of Messiah, that God is an absolute One and not a plurality or tri-unity in One. They either ignore this truth, or they do “rabbinic gymnastics” to get around the subject while steering clear of the teaching that God gave through Moses and the prophets. As to Christians who believe in this doctrine, they usually have a difficult time explaining itbecause there is ignorance and general lack of knowledge and understanding concerning the tri-unity of God in the Hebrew Scriptures. Pastors and professors have greatly neglected this doctrine. Most Christians read the New Testament and then read their understanding of the New Testament back into the Tanakh instead of using the Tanakh as the source. The New Testament builds on the doctrines already taught in the Hebrew Scriptures. This book fills a gap in the Doctrines of God and Christ from the Tanakh. Jewish believers in Jesus Christ believe in the tri-unity of God and that Yeshua (Jesus) is equally God with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. Although Jewish believers accept who Yeshua is, the terms are not very palpable to them.

Ariel: What is your goal for this book, and what do you hope to see it accomplish?

Metzger: I want to see Jewish people, including rabbis, be challenged by their own Scriptures and by true believers in Jesus as to whom He is - the God-Man and Messiah of Israel. I wrote it because of my heart for Jewish people, that they would see the true nature, character and essence of their Messiah. I wrote this for Gentile believers to be equipped to share their faith from the Tanakh without being intimidated by Jewish people and their own lack of knowledge regarding this neglected doctrine.

To order your copy of Discovering the Mystery of the Unity of God, visit our Online Catalog -or- contact our Home Office at (877) 242-7435.

To learn more about John Metzger, visit www.PromisesToIsrael.org

August 13, 2010