Introduction

From the Birmingham Amended Statement of Faith:

“Doctrines To Be Rejected… 2. That God is three persons. 3. That the Son of God was co-eternal with the Father… 6. That the Holy Spirit is a person distinct from the Father.” (BASF, p 7).

This is a brief discussion on why I now disagree with the above statements. Of all the doctrinal shifts I have undergone, this was the one I expected the least. It is also the most recent. Yet, it is one of those situations where, when you finally see it, suddenly a thousand different texts that you already knew become far more intelligible.

For years, I already knew all the proof texts – or at least, 90% of them. So this shift wasn’t a matter of finding new texts. It was a matter of reading the Bible from the Bible-writers’ perspectives, and not taking anything for granted. It involved the acknowledgement that there really are some difficult texts in both Old and New Testaments concerning who God is, and who His Son is – and that God intended them to be difficult. He wants us to stop and say, “Hang on a moment, what did that say? That makes no sense at all.”

In this document, I will argue from the Old Testament to the New Testament; I will begin with what was foreshadowed in the Old, and conclude with how it was fulfilled in the revelation of Christ and the Holy Spirit in the New.

The Old Testament

From the Beginning, It Was So

In the beginning, when God created the heaven and the earth, He set the pattern for how He would reveal himself. He did not begin the Bible by saying “I am the creator of everything, and this is the book where I reveal myself to you.” That is what we would have done, but it is not how God did it. The way God did it was by illustrating Himself at work:

“In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

From this, we understand that God is the Father of everything, since He created everything. But the illustration does not stop there. In the next verse, His Spirit hovers upon the face of the water (Gen 1:2); and in the next verse again, His word is sent out, and the world is created (Gen 1:3ff).

What this shows is that, right at the beginning, we are invited to take special notice of the Father, His Spirit, and His word. I am not saying anything particularly about this yet, but merely pointing out how the text of Genesis 1 reveals God to us. He did not define Himself; he revealed Himself at work.

But why? Why not provide a simple definition that we could grasp, to avoid all confusion?

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We are finite beings; we cannot fit an infinite God into our heads. Can you comprehend what it means to be eternal? You may be able to apprehend it, but it is beyond comprehension. So there is no definition God could provide us of Himself that would be both complete, and comprehensible by us. It might be either one or the other, but not both. So, instead of defining Himself, God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through the scriptures, through creation, and through his work of salvation.

Again, this is not an argument for the Trinity yet. All I have shown is that, on the basis of Genesis 1, God has revealed Himself in three primary ways in creation:

1. As the source of all creation (Father).

2. As the expression of His will in and through creation (Word).

3. As the hovering presence acting upon creation (Spirit).

When you are walking around in creation, you will notice these three things.

1. You might think ‘How did this all get here?’ The answer to this is that God is the source of everything. He is the Father who creates everything.

   1. Job makes this exact point in Job 12:7-10. See also Isaiah 40:26-28, Acts 17:24-25, James 1:17.

2. You might also be amazed by the beauty and goodness of it all. What you are recognising is that creation is the expression of God’s character. He speaks His Word that says “Let there be light”, and it is done.

   1. David sings of this fact in Psalm 19:1-4. See also Psalm 33:6-9, 104:24, Romans 1:20.

3. You might also recognise that God has not ‘set and forget’ this world. He is actively at work in it to bring about his purpose. Through His Spirit, he “hovers over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:2, NASB).

   1. In Psalm 46:9-10, the Psalmist recognises God through His active role in his life. He is a God who does things (Isaiah 45:7). See also Isaiah 40:13-14, 46:11, Jonah 1:4, Amos 4:6-9, Habakkuk 1:5-6.

Now, all this proves is that there are three ways God has revealed Himself to us: as Father, word, and Spirit. Why else would the Bible begin with them? Why else would there be so many sections of scripture – both Old and New Testament – that refer to these three together? See Psalm 33:6, Isaiah 59:21, Isaiah 61:1, Isaiah 40:7-8, Isaiah 11:2-4, Ezekiel 37:1-4, 2 Samuel 23:2-3, Nehemiah 9:20 etc.

Thus, there ought to be a point of agreement here: that the Bible does indeed focus uniquely on these three, which in some way reveals the one true God to us. This, I think, is undeniable. The real question lies in how they are defined. Are these three distinct entities that interact with one another personally, or are the Spirit and the word simply impersonal forces, like rays from the sun?

Like everything in Genesis 1, this is a seedbed of far more glorious scriptural revelations to come.

God Cannot Be Seen

Due to His sheer incomprehensibility, it is impossible for man to see God. The scriptures are clear about this:

“But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27)

“Who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16)

For man to see God would be like the characters of a book somehow meeting the author of the book in real life. It simply cannot happen. God exists in a way that is beyond our capacity to imagine.

The only problem with this is: God was seen. He did enter his own creation.

“And they heard the sound of Yahweh Elohim walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh Elohim among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3:8)

Note that “Yahweh Elohim” is the one who “made the earth and the heavens” (Gen 2:4). It is He that was walking in His creation. Despite the many attempts to explain this away, the facts are that the Genesis record doesn’t (yet) offer an explanation for how this occurred. The text is simply asking us to pause and consider: how can the God who created the world walk around inside that world? For one thing, how does He fit in here? Remember: “the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee” (1 Kgs 8:27).

But there is no answer yet. It is just a question.

Further on, in Genesis 18, three men appear to Abraham, two of which are angels (Gen 19:1). The third is, again, Yahweh Himself, walking around in His own creation (Gen 18:22). How is that possible?

In the next chapter, we are told that “Yahweh rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from Yahweh out of heaven” (Gen 19:24). Who is “Yahweh” at the beginning of the verse, and Who is He at the end? How did Yahweh rain down fire and brimstone “from Yahweh”?

I am well aware of the Christadelphian answers to these verses, but note that the text itself has not given such an answer. It has only raised the question. The record itself doesn’t lift a finger to stop us concluding that God Himself was on earth, walking in the garden (Gen 2:4), standing before Abraham (Gen 18:22), and calling fire down from Yahweh in heaven (Gen 19:24).

The text is doing this intentionally so that we ask these difficult questions.

The Angel of Yahweh

As we continue to read the scriptures, we find that when God meets face to face with his people, it is frequently in the person of “the Angel of Yahweh” (Mal’akh YHWH in Hebrew). This Mal’akh YHWH invariably speaks as though he is Yahweh, and he is often called “Yahweh” with no explanation for why.

Note: I do not give you the following texts as though you have never seen them before, but hopefully in a way that is new to you. I understand that the Christadelphian claim is that this Mal’akh YHWH was simply an angel who represented God. However, I reject this on the basis that no representative, no matter how perfect, can claim to be God, or accept the worship due to God. Yet, in the following texts, the Mal’akh YHWH consistently claims to be God, and appropriates to Himself statements that only God could have.

Genesis 16

• The Angel of Yahweh appears to Hagar (v7).

• The Angel of Yahweh says “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly” (v10).

• In verse 13, we are explicitly told that the Angel was “Yahweh that spoke unto her” (v13).

Genesis 22

• The Angel of Yahweh calls to Abraham from heaven (v11).

• He says “thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (v12).

• He says “by myself have I sworn, saith Yahweh… that in blessing I will bless thee…” (v16).

Genesis 28, 31, 48

• At Bethel, Jacob has a dream, in which he sees “Yahweh” standing above the ladder. He says “I am Yahweh elohim of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac” (28:13).

• But later, the “angel of God” claims “I am the God of Bethel” (31:11-13).

• At the end of his life, Jacob says it was “God Almighty” (El Shaddai) who appeared to him at Bethel (or “Luz” as it is called – 48:3).

• He uses “God before whom my fathers walked” interchangeably with “the Angel which redeemed me” (48:15-16).

Exodus 3

• The Mal’akh YHWH appears to Moses (v2), and the record calls him both “Yahweh” and “Elohim” (v4).

• He claims to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (v6). He does not claim to represent Him.

• He ascribes to himself the divine name Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (v14).

Exodus 23

• God promises to send an Angel before Israel, in Whom is His name (v20).

• The actions and words of this Angel are ascribed to God Himself (v22-23). Note the frequent transition between the pronouns “Him” and “I”.

• God talks about serving “Yahweh your God” so that “he” would bless them (v25). Note the pronouns used: “He” (Yahweh their God) is the Angel.

• Eventually, God commands Moses to “Come up unto Yahweh” (24:1), and from that moment on, Moses has frequent face-to-face communication with “Yahweh”, Who is really the Mal’akh YHWH.

We could continue to trace this figure throughout the Old Testament scriptures, from Gideon (Jdg 6:11-24) to Zechariah (Zech 1:12, 3:4). On almost every one of these occasions, the scriptures identify Him as Yahweh Himself.

All throughout the Old Testament, therefore, we see the visible theophany of the invisible God. He is not merely represented by another being, for the Mal’akh YHWH claims to actually be God. As such, these manifestations actually are God entering his own creation by limiting the fullness of his glory and being. On these occasions, the scriptures use the term Mal’akh (Angel) not to diminish the divine nature of these appearances but to convey the manner in which the infinite God interacts visibly with His finite creation. God in His fullness is truly unseeable by men; but he chose this way to reveal Himself, through the veiling of His infinite glory.

Other Odd Texts

As mentioned already, the Old Testament raises many questions that are to be answered in the New Testament. Below are a list of texts which I believe raise a number of these questions.

Isaiah 48

“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last… I, even I, have spoken; yea, I have called him: I have brought him, and he shall make his way prosperous. Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now Adonai Yahweh, and his Spirit, hath sent me.” (Isa 48:12-16)

In this passage, God is the one speaking. That is undeniable. But God says that “Adonai Yahweh and His Spirit sent me.” Have you ever noticed that before? God says “Adonai Yahweh and His Spirit sent me”! That is simply what the text says. So we have:

1. God (the One speaking in the passage).

2. Adonai Yahweh.

3. His Spirit.

Each is clearly distinguished, and yet they are each clearly God, and yet Isaiah could not be more clear that there is only one God. What is going on here? There is no explicit explanation; we must wait for the New Testament revelation.

Zechariah 2

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith Yahweh. And many nations shall be joined to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that Yahweh of hosts hath sent me unto thee.” (Zech 2:10-11)

This is another instance where “Yahweh” is the speaker (v10). Yet He also talks about “Yahweh” as if He is talking about someone else (v11a). And he says “Yahweh of hosts” sent him (v11b). How can Yahweh send Yahweh? Again, there is no explicit answer; we must wait for the New Testament.

Zechariah 4

Zechariah sees a lampstand standing between two olive trees, and asks what it is (Zech 4:2-5). In answer:

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of Yahweh unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith Yahweh of hosts.”

The lampstand is interpreted as “the word of Yahweh,” which is certainly apt. However, later in the chapter, we are told explicitly that the lampstand is “the Lord of the whole earth.” Thus, the lampstand is both the “word of Yahweh” and “the Lord of the whole earth.”

This is so significant, because in the Old Testament, we already have a number of unusual events that seem to treat the “Word of Yahweh” as a person:

• In Genesis 15:1, the “word of Yahweh” appears to Abram in a vision and speaks to him. How can a word appear in a vision?

• In 1 Samuel 3:10, “Yahweh came and stood” on earth. Yet, we are told later in the chapter that “Yahweh appeared again in Shiloh: for Yahweh revealed himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of Yahweh” (v21). The phrase can also be translated “as the word of Yahweh.” In other words, Yahweh’s presence on earth was the Word.

• 1 Kings 19:9 is one of the clearest. The verse says “the word of Yahweh came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?” In this passage, the Word of Yahweh is a “he” – a person. (As a side note, you will see that in v7, it was “the Mal’akh YHWH” who appeared to him. The “word of Yahweh” is the Mal’akh YHWH).

• In Jeremiah 1, we have another instance of Yahweh being physically present on earth, for we are told that he “put forth his hand, and touched [Jeremiah’s] mouth” (v9). But who was it that appeared to him? Verse 4 – “Then the word of Yahweh came unto me.” That’s who.

  • This “Word of Yahweh” figure continues to interact with Jeremiah for the entire book. For example, in chapter 34, “The word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah from Yahweh” (34:12). Clearly, “the word of Yahweh” is a figure being sent “from Yahweh.”

• In the book of Zechariah itself, the “word of Yahweh” comes to him (1:7), and he sees a man standing among myrtle trees (1:8), who is identified as the Mal’akh YHWH (1:11).

Who is this “Word of Yahweh”? How does this all work? The Old Testament does not give any easy answers. We have to wait for the New Testament.

Zechariah 12

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.”

This does not need much explanation. God is speaking, and He promises to pour out the Spirit upon his people. He also switches pronouns from “me” to “him” quite unnaturally. In fact, it makes no sense grammatically. Trust our God to break grammatical laws to make a point.

Now, the simple question remains: into whose hands were the nails driven? Who exactly was pierced?

Again, we don’t have the answers. We have to wait for the New Testament.

The Messenger of the Covenant

Chronologically, Malachi is the last Hebrew prophet of the Old Testament. It was his words that rang out into the four hundred years of divine silence before Christ came. And what did he say?

“Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the Mal’akh of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith Yahweh of hosts.” (Malachi 3:1)

There are a few things to note here:

1. The way is being prepared before “me” (that is, Yahweh Himself).

2. Yet, the one who would come is “the Mal’akh of the covenant.”

3. The people in Malachi’s time already knew about this Mal’akh, because they “seek” Him, and delight in Him.

So who is this “Mal’akh of the covenant”? In light of everything we have seen, this is surely an easy question to answer:

• He is the one who made a covenant with Abraham (Gen 17, 22).

• He is the one who revealed his covenant name, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (Ex 3).

• He is the one who dwelt among the covenant people of God (Ex 23-34).

In fact, the book of Judges records this statement:

“And the Mal’akh YHWH came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.” (Judges 2:1)

He was truly the one whom the people sought, and whom they delighted in. For when He dwelt in their midst, they had success; and when He did not, they were destroyed.

So these words of Malachi echo into the darkness, and the people waited 400 years for the next appearance of Mal’akh YHWH to His people; when he would come to his own temple, as the prophet predicted.

But when it did finally happen, it wasn’t in the way any of them had expected it.

The New Testament

John

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

To those who have read their Old Testament carefully, this statement makes perfect sense. We have already met “the Word of Yahweh”, alias the Mal’akh YHWH. Moreover, John insists that He is a person:

“All things were made by him… He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory… John bare witness of him…” (John 1:3,10,14,15)

The pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “him”), when coupled with a masculine noun such as λόγος (Logos), always functions as a masculine pronoun. When we follow this pronoun down to v14-15, there can be no mistake: John is talking about a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.

Let me make this even more clear, by adding some emphasis to the text:

“In the beginning was the Word… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.” (John 1:1,14-15)

Following the text, we see that the “He” of whom John speaks in v15 is the “Word” that is mentioned at the beginning of the chapter. This breaks with Christadelphian teaching, which cannot agree that Jesus Christ is the Word. Yet the text is very clear that “the Word” is the person who dwelt among us. He became Jesus of Nazareth.

In the past, I have been accustomed to say that, in John 1, Jesus is not mentioned until verse 14. I would argue that Jesus is the “flesh” that the Word became in John 1:14, and that the “Word” is an impersonal attribute of God that became embodied in a man. But when you follow the text faithfully, this simply cannot be the case. When it says “he dwelt among us and we beheld his glory”, the direct antecedent of this statement is “the Word.”

This same Word was both “with God” and “was God” (v1). So, according to John 1:

• The Word is God.

• The Word is the only begotten of the Father.

• The Word dwelt among us as Jesus of Nazareth.

Now, based on everything I have already demonstrated from the Old Testament, I hope you can see how John is not mentioning anything new. He is explaining the Old Testament questions we raised. The “Word of Yahweh” – the visible revelation of God on earth – the one Who walked in the garden, stood next to Abraham, and spoke to Moses as a friend – He became a man. He was “made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death” so that He could accurately represent the human race, which He came to save.

Jesus Identified as “Yahweh”

It is not only John. Almost every New Testament writer is comfortable quoting Old Testament passages about “Yahweh” as if they are talking about Jesus:

• Psalm 68:18 – “Thou hast ascended on high…” (talking about Yahweh).

  • Quoted in Ephesians 4:8 about Jesus.

  • Ask yourself honestly: how did Yahweh “ascend on high”?

• Psalm 97:1,7 – “Yahweh reigneth… worship him, all ye gods.”

  • Quoted in Hebrews 1:6 about Jesus.

  • What do you make of this?

• Psalm 102:25-27 – “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth… but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.”

  • Quoted in Hebrews 1:10-12 about Jesus.

  • Do you believe Jesus laid the foundation of the earth?

• Isaiah 6:1-10 – “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne… Holy, holy, holy is Yahweh of hosts…”

  • John says Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory and “spake of him” (Jn 12:41).

  • Who do you think Isaiah saw in this chapter?

• Isaiah 8:13-14 – “Yahweh of hosts himself… shall be for a stone of stumbling…”

  • Quoted in 1 Peter 2:7-8 about Jesus.

  • “Yahweh of hosts himself” is very specific. Why does the text emphasise this if it was fulfilled in Jesus?

• Isaiah 40:3 – “Prepare the way of Yahweh”.

  • Quoted in Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4, and John 1:23 about Jesus.

• Isaiah 45:23 – “...unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.”

  • Quoted in Philippians 2:10-11 about Jesus.

  • Isaiah is insistent that only God Himself can receive worship, and that He will not give his glory to anyone else (Isa 42:8). Why, then, are we commanded to give that exact worship to Jesus?

• Joel 2:32 – “Whosoever shall call on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.”

  • Quoted in Acts 2:21, Romans 10:13 about Jesus.

• Malachi 3:1 – “I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me.”

  • Quoted in Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27 about Jesus.

There are many more examples, but these are enough to prove the point being made. The fact is, if the New Testament was written in Hebrew, the name “Yahweh” would many times refer to Jesus Himself – just as it did for the Mal’akh YHWH in the Old Testament.

Some Other Texts

Here are some more significant New Testament statements:

John 13

“Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.” (John 13:19)

There are many similar statements in John. But what makes them so powerful? It is the fact that Jesus is clearly alluding to the book of Isaiah:

	Isaiah (LXX)	John
English	so that you may know and believe and understand that I am (43:10)	so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am (13:19)
Greek	hina gnōte kai pisteusēte kai synēte hoti egō eimi	hina pisteuēte hotan genētai hoti egō eimi

The significance of this verse (and many like it in John) is Jesus’ use of the phrase “I am” (egō eimi) in exactly the same manner and context that Yahweh Himself does in Isaiah. Note that the word “he” does not appear in the Greek text – the translators have added it to make an awkward statement sound easier on the ear. But God made it intentionally awkward, so that we would think. 

Allow me to paraphrase what Jesus is saying:

I’m telling you the future, so that when it happens, you will believe that I am (egō eimi).

This exact argument is used in Isaiah to prove that Yahweh is the only true God:

“Who has performed and accomplished it, Calling forth the generations from the beginning? ‘I, the LORD, am the first, and with the last. I am He.’” (Isaiah 41:4)

In the Septuagint, the phrase “I am He” is, again, egō eimi.

The Bible never does anything by accident, and this is no exception.

Acts 20

“Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

This requires little explanation. God purchased the believers with his own blood. Yet we are told elsewhere that it was Jesus who so purchased us:

“For You were slain, and purchased for God with Your own blood…” (Rev 5:9, NASB).

So who did the purchasing? And whose blood was it?

1 Corinthians 8

“...There is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Cor 8:4-6).

Paul is affirming monotheism, and denying polytheism. He insists that we only have one God, one Lord – as opposed to the pagan notion of many so-called gods and lords. But the significance of these verses never gripped me until I realised what Paul’s Old Testament basis is for these words.

What did the Jews always say to affirm their monotheism? What did they recite twice a day? What was it that set them apart from the nations? It was the Shema Yisrael:

“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh our God is one Yahweh.” (Deut 6:4)

But Paul, writing in Greek, knew the Greek Septuagint version:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord.” (LXX)

Paul takes almost every word of the Greek Shema – “Lord” (Κύριος), “God” (θεὸς), “one” (εἷς), and “our/us” (ἡμῶν / ἡμῖν), and applies it to both the Father and the Son – “to us there is but one God… and one Lord.” Note that Paul is not adding Christ to the Shema Yisrael. He is including Him. He is affirming monotheism.

Not long after, we read in Deuteronomy 10:17:

“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords…” (LXX)

Paul clearly also has this statement in mind when arguing against the “gods” and “lords” of idolatry (v5). But in the New Testament, Who is the “Lord of lords”? Here, Paul says it is Jesus Christ. He is the “one Lord” who is Lord of lords.

1 Corinthians 10

“Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.” (1 Cor 10:9). 

Paul clearly believes that the children of Israel tempted Christ. But in Exodus 23, they were warned not to provoke the Mal’akh YHWH (Ex 23:21)! Do you see what is going on here?

Jude

“For certain persons have crept in unnoticed… who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 4-5)

After calling Jesus Christ “our only Master and Lord”, Jude points out that “the Lord” saved a people out of the land of Egypt. Now, from the Old Testament text, we know Who it was:

“And Yahweh went before them by day in a pillar of cloud… And the Mal’akh Elohim, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them…” (Ex 13:21, 14:19)

Interestingly, there is a textual variant in the text of Jude, and some respectable translations read as follows:

“Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5, ESV)

Whichever variant is the correct one, Jude is clearly talking about Jesus, the Mal’akh YHWH, our “only Lord”, who went before Israel in the Exodus.

Revelation

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8)

Who is speaking here? It is “the Lord.” Many other translations/manuscripts have “the Lord God” (e.g., NASB). But we must remember that this is “the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). It is he who is claiming to be the Alpha and Omega, the Almighty. He is the Lord God.

If we need further confirmation, we only have to read v17-18:

“...Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive…”

So, yes, it is Jesus Christ Himself who is claiming to be “the Almighty,” “the first and the last.” But these are titles that God alone ascribes to Himself, especially in the book of Isaiah (Isa 44:6, 48:12). How can a mere creature claim to be “the first and the last”? He does not say “I represent the first and the last”, or “I am a perfect revelation of the first and the last.” No, he says “I am the first and the last.”

Later in the book, it becomes even more explicit:

In Revelation 17:14, and 19:16, He is called “Lord of lords and King of kings” – titles applied exclusively to God, and that are used to identify him as God (Deut 10:17, 1 Tim 6:15).

In Revelation 21:5-7, we hear a message from “he that sat upon the throne.” Who is this? Who is sitting on the throne? Well, it is the same throne from 20:11 – “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it…” This is Jesus, the one who sits in judgement on the last day. And what does He say?

“It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.” (21:6-7)

In case we didn’t get the point, we see it again in chapter 22:

“And behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. __I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” (22:12-13)

It was Jesus who was coming quickly. And it was Jesus who claimed to be the Alpha and Omega.

Jesus Identified as God

The texts provided already prove the point being made, yet there are still many others that explicitly identify Jesus as God:

• “And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”” (Jn 20:28).

• “Of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” (Rom 9:5).

• “Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Tit 2:13).

• “Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:” (2 Pet 1:1).

• “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” (1 Jn 5:20).

Taking the plainest meaning of each of these texts, Jesus is explicitly and repeatedly identified as “God.” And for each of these texts, it is impossible to say that “God” is used in some lesser, representative sense, because the language is too superlative:

• Saying “my God” is a level up from simply saying “God”. Such language could not be used of a representative.

• “The eternally blessed God” is also quite definitive. You can’t call a created being “the eternally blessed God”. You just can’t.

• “Our great God and Saviour” is also superlative. What more could be said to emphasise Who is being referred to?

• “The true God” can only be applied to God Himself.

The Holy Spirit

In this document, I have focused particularly on Christ, but it is important to recognise that a similar analysis could be done for the Holy Spirit. For now, we will briefly consider the way the Spirit is presented to us in the Bible.

The New Testament writers indisputably present Him as a distinct person, capable of personal actions and emotions:

• He teaches (Jn 14:26).

• He speaks (Acts 13:2).

• He distributes spiritual gifts according to His will (1 Cor 12:11).

• He can be grieved (Eph 4:30).

• He testifies of Christ (Jn 15:26).

• He intercedes for us (Rom 8:26).

• He has fellowship, in the same way that Christ has grace (2 Cor 13:14).

• He can be lied to (Acts 5:3-4).

See Isaiah 63:10-14 for an Old Testament equivalent.

Once it is acknowledged that the Spirit is a distinct person, we can then see how that same Spirit is identified as God Himself (2 Sam 23:2-3, Acts 5:3-4, 1 Cor 3:16, 2 Cor 3:16-18). So it is truly impossible to read the New Testament openly and honestly without realising that the Spirit is a person, and that that person is God.

All Three Together

One of the other things we ought to notice in the New Testament is that the writers clearly believe there is something special about the three together: Father, Son and Spirit.

• Matthew 3:16-17 – At Jesus’ baptism, the Spirit descends, and the Father speaks from heaven.

• Matthew 28:19 – The name (singular) of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

• John 14:16-17 – Jesus will ask the Father, and he will send the Spirit.

• Romans 15:30 – Paul urges the Romans by the Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join him in prayer to God.

• 2 Corinthians 13:14 – “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

• Ephesians 2:18 – “For through him [Jesus] we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”

• 1 Peter 1:2 – “Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood.”

Whatever one believes, it is impossible to deny that there is a Biblical focus on these three: Father, Son and Spirit. It is simply undeniable.

Conclusion

The doctrine of the Trinity did not suddenly appear out of nowhere. Historically, it was not an invention of Constantine to keep the Pagans happy, despite what is often said. A look at the history will show that the early church councils were articulating, not inventing, the doctrine already held by the believers. It is not a belief in multiple gods – it is a strict affirmation of monotheism. The claim is that God is revealed personally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – in a way that is beyond human comprehension. Should we expect anything different from an infinite God?

It is interesting that, for centuries before Christ, the Jews believed in what was called “Two Powers in Heaven.” This is worth looking up. Just as I have shown you, they saw all of the scriptural references to the Mal’akh YHWH, and they realised that the One True God was somehow complex in His unity. They recognized that while Yahweh is one (Deuteronomy 6:4), there were scriptural passages that spoke of distinct manifestations or persons of Yahweh, such as the Mal’akh YHWH, who acted and spoke as Yahweh, yet was distinct from Yahweh in heaven.

This concept of the “Two Powers in Heaven” was mainstream Jewish doctrine… until Jesus Christ came. In the second century AD, the Jews declared it heretical, largely in response to the rise of Christianity, which identified Jesus as the second power. For a succinct summary, I asked ChatGPT to describe the doctrine for me:

The "Two Powers in Heaven" doctrine was a Jewish theological concept suggesting the existence of two divine figures or manifestations of God's power, often seen as complementary or distinct but still within the bounds of monotheism. This idea is rooted in interpretations of key biblical texts such as Daniel 7:13-14 (the "Son of Man" figure receiving authority from the Ancient of Days), Exodus 23:20-22 (the Angel of the Lord who bears God's name), and other passages implying dual or complex divine agency. The doctrine was prominent in early Jewish thought, particularly in Second Temple literature, but it became heretical in rabbinic Judaism around the 2nd century CE. This rejection likely stemmed from efforts to counter Christian claims about Jesus as a divine figure (the "Second Power") and Gnostic influences, solidifying a stricter monotheistic framework in Jewish theology.

So it was early Jewish doctrine that laid the groundwork for the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which recognizes not only two but three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—in the one true God, as revealed fully in the New Testament. Far from being an invention, the Trinity is the fulfillment of a theological trajectory that began in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Time and time again, when reading the Old Testament, we were forced to ask difficult questions. And the New Testament writers, inspired by the Holy Spirit, reveal that these questions find their resolution in the identity of Jesus Christ and the salvific work of the Spirit. Just as the triune God was revealed in the natural creation, so we experience Him in our own spiritual creations:

“Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctification of the Spirit, unto the obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.” (1 Peter 1:2)

As to the natural creation: the God we worship is the unfathomable Source of all creation (the Father); He is the One made known in the creation itself (the Word); He is also the one actively moving in creation to fulfil His purpose (the Holy Spirit). As to the spiritual creation: the God we worship is the Source and Giver of our salvation (the Father); He is the accessible Way to the Father (the Son); and He is also the one who takes us down that Way through “sanctification of the Spirit” (the Holy Spirit).

Why isn’t there a verse or chapter that defines the Trinity? Because, as we saw from the beginning, that is not what the Bible is for. There isn’t anywhere in scripture where God is defined. He is often described, but that is not the same as a definition. God does not reveal Himself through dry definitions, and, what is more, this is rarely how he reveals anything to us. The scriptural method is not clausal definitions (otherwise God would have simply given us a dry, boring statement of faith). Instead, he reveals Himself through description, and narrative. He illustrates Himself. He makes Himself known to us. It is impossible for finite human beings to define, or even comprehend an infinite God. Even the ‘Trinity’, as a formulation, is simply the best we can do to quickly refer to what we know Biblically about Who God is, as He has revealed Himself to us.

Ponder any of the attributes of God, and you soon realise that we are like tadpoles swimming around in a lake, blissfully unaware that quantum physics is a thing. Rounding to four decimal places, we know nothing. The little we do know comes from the Bible, and the Bible is very clear.