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CHAPTER NINETHE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD"And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, 0 Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" -Mark 12:29. In this, and the next two chapters, we will be looking at the scriptures that answer certain questions concerning whether God is a "Holy One" or a "Holy Trinity". In this chapter we will 1ook at the scriptures that answer certain questions asked of the "Oneness" doctrine. It is important that we keep in mind the Biblical principals which were brought out in the first chapter. Namely, which do we hold in higher regard, the traditions of men, or the commandments of God? The Hebrew religion has been called the most purest form of monotheism. Some feel the Trinity doctrine is a fuller revelation of the nature of the Godhead than the absolute monotheism of the Hebrews. Our first question is- Question # 9.1 - What does the Bible teach about the Jews understanding of the nature of the Godhead? "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews" -John 4:22. "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord..." -Jeremiah 9:23-24. "Ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour... ye are my witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God... Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel... I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King" -Isaiah 43:10-15. Question # 9.2 - Were the true Jews unaware of the nature of the Son of God? "Now all this was...spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us" -Matthew 1:21-23, & Isaiah 7:14. "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?... What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if thou canst tell?" -Prov. 30.4. (...Christ...ascended up on high... He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all... that He might fill all..." -Ephesians 4:7-10. "...How say the scribes that Christ is the Son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth Him Lord; and whence is He then his son?" -Mark 12:35-37, and Luke 20:41-44. "I Jesus... I am the root and the offspring of David..." -Revelation 22:16. Question # 9.3 - Does the Bible teach that the Godhead is a mystery that no man can understand? "The Holy Ghost... shall teach you all things..." -John 14:26. "...When He, the Spirit of Truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth... He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you" -John 16:13-14. "Now we have received... the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak... But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are... spiritually discerned..." -1 Corithians 2:12-16. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead..." -Romans 1:20. "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true, and we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" -1 John 5:20. Holy Trinity- Not found anywhere in scripture. Trinity, or Triune- Not found anywhere in scripture. Three- 1) For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one" -1 John 5:7. Holy One- 1) "Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed...the Holy One of Israel -2 Kings 19:22. 2) "...I have not concealed the words of the Holy One" -Job 6:10. 3) "...Neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" -Psalm 16:10. 4) "...O my God: unto thee will I sing...thou Holy One" -Psalm 71:22. 5) "Yea, they... limited the Holy One..." -Psalm 78:41. 6) "...The Holy One... is our King" -Psalm 89:18. 7) "...They have provoked the Holy One..." -Isaiah 1:4. 8) "...Let the counsel of the Holy One...draw nigh..." -Isaiah 5:19. 9) "...They have...despised...the Holy One..." -Isaiah 5:24. 10) "...The light of Israel...his Holy One..." -Isaiah 10:17. 11) "...Stay upon the Lord, the Holy One..." -Isaiah 10:20. 12) "...Great is the Holy One...in the midst of thee" -Isaiah 12:6. 13) "...Have respect to the Holy One..." -Isaiah 17:7. 14) "...Rejoice in the Holy One..." -Isaiah 29:19. 15) "...Sanctify my name...the Holy One..." -Isaiah 29:23 16) "...A rebellious people...say...cause the Holy One...to cease from before us" -Isaiah 30:9-11. 17) "Wherefore thus saith the Holy One... Ye despise this word and trust in oppression and perverseness..." -Isaiah 30:12. 18) "...The Lord God, the Holy One..." -Isaiah 30:15. 19) "Woe to them that...look not unto the Holy One..." -Isaiah 31:1. 20) "Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed?... Even against the Holy One" -Isaiah 37:23. 21) "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One" -Isaiah 40:25 22) "I...the Lord, and thy redeemer, the Holy One..." -Isaiah 41:14. 23) "...Glory in the Holy One..." -Isaiah 41:16. 24) "...The Holy One...hath created..." -Isaiah 41:20. 25) "For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour..." -Isaiah 43:3 26) "...The Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One..." -Isaiah 43:14. 27) " I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King" -Isaiah 43:15. 28) "...The Lord, the Holy One..." -Isaiah 45:11. 29) "... Our redeemer...the Holy One..." -Isaiah 47:4. 30) "...The Holy One...thy God..." -Isaiah 48:17. 31) "...The redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One..." -Isaiah 49:7. 32) "...The Holy One of Israel..." -Isaiah 49:7. 33) "...Thy Maker...the Holy One...God of the whole earth..." -Is.54:5. 34) "...Run unto...the Holy One..." -Isaiah 55:5. 35) "...Bring thy sons...to the Holy One..." -Isaiah 60:9. 36) "...The city...the Zion of the Holy One..." -Isaiah 60:14. 37) "...Babylon...hath been proud against...the Holy One..." -Jeremiah 50:29. 38) "...Israel...was filled with sin against the Holy One..." -Jeremiah 51:5. 39) "So will I make my Holy name known in the midst of my people...that I am the Lord, the Holy One..." -Ezekiel 39:7. 40) "...I am God...the Holy One in the midst of thee..." -Hosea 11:9. 41) "...O Lord my God, mine Holy One..." -Habakkuk 1:12. 42) "...The Holy One...His glory covered the heavens..." -Habakkuk 3:3. 43) "...Jesus of Nazareth...the Holy One..." -Mark 1:24. 44) "... Jesus of Nazareth...the Holy One..." -Luke 4:34. 45) "...David speaketh concerning Him...thine Holy One..." -Acts 2:25-27. 46) "But ye denied the Holy One..." -Acts 3:l4. 47) "...Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" -Acts 13:35. 48) "...Ye have an unction from the Holy One..." -1 John 2:20. One- 1) "...The Lord our God is one Lord" -Deuteronomy 6:4. 2) "...The Lord of hosts, the mighty One...'l -Isaiah 1:24. 3) "...They shall cry unto the Lord...and He shall send them a saviour, and a great one..." -Isaiah l9:20. 4) "...The Lord...a mighty and strong one..." -Isaiah 28:2. 5) "...Come...to the mighty One of Israel" -Isaiah 30:29. 6) "...I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One..." -Isaiah 49:26. 7) "...The high and lofty One...inhabiteth eternity..." -Isaiah 57:15. 8) "...Thy Saviour...Redeemer, the mighty One..." -Isaiah 60:16. 9) "...King over all...one Lord, and His name one" -Zechariah 14:9. 10) "...One father...One God created us" -Malachi 2:10. 11) "...One, that is God..." -Matthew 19: 17. 12) "...One is your Master, even Christ" -Matthew 23:8. 13) "...One is your Father..." -Matthew 23:9. 14) "...One is your Master..." -Matthew 23:10. 15) "And John...preached saying, There cometh one mightier than I..." -Mark 1:6-7. 16) "...One, that is God..." -Mark 10:18. 17) "...One God; and there is none other..." -Mark 12:32. 18) "...One, that is, God..." -Luke 18:19. 19) "...We have one Father, even God" -John 8:41. 20) "...One shepherd" -John 10:16. 21) "I and my Father are one" -John 10:30. 22) "...One; as thou, Father..." -John 17:21. 23) "...Even as we are one..." -John 17:22. 24) "'...Your fathers...have slain them which shewed before the coming of the Just One..." -Acts 7:52. 25) "...See that Just One..." -Acts 22:14. 26) "...It is one God, which shall justify..." -Romans 3:30. 27) "...Righteousness...by one, Jesus Christ" -Romans 5:17. 28) "...By...one the free gift came..." -Romans 5:18. 29) "...There is none other God but one" -1 Corinthians 8:4. 30) "...There is but one God, the Father..." -1 Corinthians 8:6. 31) "...One and the selfsame Spirit..." -1 Corinthians 12:1l. 32) "For as the body is one...so also is Christ" -1 Corinthians 12:12. 33) "For by one Spirit are we all baptized..." -1 Corinthians 12:13. 34) ''...Drink into one Spirit" -1 Corinthians 12:13. 35) "...God is One" -Galatians 3:20. 36) "...Access by one Spirit unto the Father" -Ephesians 2:18. 37) "There is...one Spirit..." -Ephesians 4:4. 38) "One Lord..." -Ephesians 4:5. 39) "One God and Father of all..." -Ephesians 4:6. 40) "For there is one God..." -1 Timothy 2:5. 41) "Thou believest that there is one God..." -James 2:19. 42) "There is one lawgiver..." -James 4:12. 43) "...The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost...are one -1 John 5:7. 44) "...In heaven...one sat on the throne" -Revelation 4:2. 45) "...Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord..." -Mark 12:28-29. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us..." -John 1:1,14. "...As concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen" -Romans 9:5. "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God..." -1 John 4:3. "O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come" -Psalm 65:2. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" -Matthew 5:17. "For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done..." -John 13:15. "And He said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" -Luke 9:23. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who...made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient unto death..." -Philippians 2:5-8. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow..." -1 Peter 2:21. Question # 9.6 - Does the Bible teach that it is wrong for Christians to direct all of their worship toward Jesus Christ since 1 John 2:22 says "He is anti-christ, that denieth the Father and the Son"? "Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son" -2 John 9. "...He that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" -1 John 2:23. "...If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also -John 8:19. "He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father" -John 15:23-24. "Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on Him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth Him that sent me" -John 12:44-45. "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen Him. Philip saith unto Him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? -John 14:7-9. "I and my Father are one" -John 10:30. "...I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ..." -1 Corinthians 2:2. ...Christ is all..." -Colossians 3:11. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceipt, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power" -Colossians 2:8-10. Question # 9.7 - "Jesus...said...If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" John 14:23. "...I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth..." John 14:16-17. Does the Bible teach that these are three separate persons, or one selfsame Spirit that dwells in believers? "There is one God and Father of all who is...in you all" -Eph.4:6. "...As God hath said, I will dwell in them..." -2 Corinthians 6:16. "God is a Spirit..." -John 4:24. "There is...one Spirit..." -Ephesians 4:4. "...The Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us" -2 Timothy 1:14. "...If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead...but the Spirit is life..." -Romans 8:9-10. "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit...For as the body is one...so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" -1 Corinthians 12:11-13. "...Know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus...both Lord and Christ" -Acts 2:36. "...Ye are...the epistle of Christ...written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God...in fleshy tables of the heart... Now the Lord is that Spirit..." -2 Corinthians 3:3,17. "...The mystery which hath been hid...but now is made manifest to His saints...is Christ in you..." -Colossians 1:26-27. "...Christ is all, and in all" -Colossians 3:11. Jesus said "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" -John 14:18. Question # 9.8 - "...Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God" Acts 7:56. Does the Bible teach that Stephen saw two separate persons in heaven? "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His shape" -John 5:37. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" -John 1:18. "...Our Lord Jesus Christ...shall shew, who is the blessed and only potentate, The King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality...whom no man hath seen, nor can see" -1 Timothy 6:14-16. Question # 9.9 - What then does the right hand of God signify, or symbolize? "Thy right hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy" -Exodus 15:6. "...Thy right hand upholdeth me" -Psalm 63:8. "...I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High. I will remember the works of the Lord..." -Psalm 77:10-11. "...For He hath done marvelous things: His right hand, and His holy arm, hath gotten Him the victory" -Psalm 98:1. "That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand..." -Psalm 108:6. "...Thy right hand shall save me" -Psalm 138:7. "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus...Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour..." -Acts 5:30-31. "...We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens..." -Hebrews 8:1. "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" -l Peter 3:22. Question # 9.10 - What was it then that Stephen saw? Stephen "...being full of the Holy Ghost...saw the glory of God..." -Acts 7:55. "...The Son of man shall come in His glory, and...then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory" -Matthew 25:31. "...Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power..." -Matthew 26:64. "Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low... And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together..." -Isaiah 40:4-5. "As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying...Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low...And all flesh shall see the salvation of God -Luke 3:4-6. Jesus said "If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know Him, and have seen Him...he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, shew us the Father?" -John 14:7-9. Question # 9.11 - "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all" -2 Cor. 13:14. Does the dividing of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost by the word "and" prove that the apostle taught that these three titles were actually three separate persons? Note the word "and" in the following- "...To the will of God and our Father..." -Galatians 1:4. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord..." -Ephesians 1:3. "...Thanks...unto God and the Father..." -Ephesians 5:20. "Now unto God and our Father be glory..." -Philippians 4:20. "We give thanks to God and the Father..." -Colossians 1:3. "Now God Himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ... -1 Thessalonians 3:11. Question # 9.12 - Have the above verses proven God to be a separate person than the Father since they separate those titles by the word "and"? Does the apostle himself teach that these three are self-separate or self-same? "...There is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth...to us there is but one God, the Father...and one Lord Jesus Christ..." -1 Corinthians 8:4-6. "There is...one Spirit...One Lord...One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" -Ephesians 4:4-6. "...Christ is all, and in all" -Colossians 3:11. "Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all... But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit..." -1 Corinthians 12:4-6,11. "...God will provide Himself a lamb for a burnt offering... -Genesis 22:8. "...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself..." -2 Corinthians 5:19. "...Christ...loved the church, and gave Himself for it...That He might present it to Himself..." -Ephesians 5:25-27. "And, having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself..." -Colossians 1:20-22. "...The Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all..." -Matthew 25:31-32. "...A throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne" -Revelation 4:2. Question # 9.14 - "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." -Genesis 1:26. Does this verse, as compared with other verses, teach that a Holy One, or a Holy Trinity created? "Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us?" -Malachi 2:10. "But the Lord is the true God...and an everlasting King... The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens" -Jeremiah 10:10-11. "At that day shall a man look to his Maker, and his eyes shall have respect to the Holy One..." -Isaiah 17:7. "...See, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it" -Isaiah 41:20. "...Your Holy One, the creator..." -Isaiah 43:15. "...I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself" -Isaiah 44:24. "...Jesus of Nazareth...thine Holy One..." -Acts 2:22-27. "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made... He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world knew Him not" -John 1:3,10. "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first born from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminenece" -Colossians 1:16-18. End of Chapter Nine. Please Continue with Chapter Ten-Part One Bibliography for The Commandments of God, and the Traditions of Men Bible Study Tom Raddatz
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