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dgc · 04-01-2008, 04:55 AM

THE TRINITY: Yahweh is the TRIUNE God

"University" = unity plus diversity. Conceived for the USA seal in 1776, "E Pluribus Unum" = out of many (diversity), one. The philosopher's dream is for a proper mankind is "unity in diversity". We have an example in the divine realm in Christianity in the Divine Trinity (not the Satanic trinity). Our God exists simultaneously as 3 persons, all 3 of whom are in constant existence...having always been in constant existence (never created). The first indication is in Genesis in 1:1 with "God" being the plural name Elohim and then Genesis 1:26, "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness'..." Both Elohim and Adonai, in Hebrew, are examples of "compound unity" names...indicating "several or many in one".
Take the verse Deuteronomy 6:4 where Moses said, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our GOD is one LORD." In Hebrew it is, "Shema Israel, Adonai Elohenu, Adonai, Echad." The Jews call this verse the SHEMA. The SHEMA shows us that God, Elohim, is a UNITY in PLURALITY. The Hebrew word Elohim is a plural form, being a UNITY in PLURALITY. The "ELOHENU" of the SHEMA is "our God" and is a plural word form. The "Adonai," The Lord, is also a plural word. So the SHEMA clearly identifies God as a plural unity. The final word in the SHEMA is Echad and this settles it once and for all because Echad is a "compound unity" meaning "several or many in one." Yachid is another Hebrew word for "one" and it means "an absolute, indivisible unity." Because yachid is used hundreds of times in the Hebrew of the Old Testament Bible, it is never used to describe the "oneness" of God...echad is used.
We must keep clearly in mind that Moses was, himself, one of the great men of the entire history of mankind...surely with intellect and knowledge on a par with the greatest minds of human history. He was given personal instruction by God; so, it is inconceivable that Moses was simply careless in his choice of words.
The word "Trinity" is never used in the Bible, and the doctrine of trinitarianism is never explicitly taught in the Bible (the Holy Scriptures). The doctrine is put fourth through correlating Biblical themes and evidence. The emperor Constantine called a council of 318 bishops at Nicaea in 325AD to hammer out church variations of the doctrine of the Trinity...(unfortunately, the effort was marred by political pressure by Constantine) the result being a 316 to 2 vote in favor of the Athanasian position that God and Jesus are of one substance (resulting in the Niceen Creed...affirmed/ratified at council of Rome in 341 & council of Constantinople of 381).
God variously exists/functions as The Father, The Son (Jesus), and The Holy Spirit (The Holy Ghost). As to Jesus, The Savior: a savior not quite God would be like a bridge broken at its farther end, and one not quite human like a bridge broken at its beginning. So, pay close attention! Essential elements of the Trinity are:

God is one (Christianity is not polytheistic).

Each of the 3 within the "Godhead" is deity...not created.

The one-ness of God and the three-ness of God are not contradictory.

The Trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) is eternal.

Each of the 3 is of the same/equal essence, none being superior or inferior to another.

Each person of the Trinity is different in function and personhood, not one person with 3 modes.

God did not become incarnate, Jesus did; so we don't thank the Father for dying on the Cross.

Jesus was begotten but not created.

Jesus, fully God, became incarnate (John 1:14...the Word became flesh) as fully human (body, soul, & spirit...otherwise he would not be an actual redeemable human & could not have qualified as The Redeemer). Jesus the God-man