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FUNDAMENTAL BELIEFS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD

BELIEF 1: GOD THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

God’s Church believes in one Supreme God, the Father, who is without beginning or ending, who has eternally existed, is a spirit, the primal Source of all life, the Almighty to whom all power and authority belong, possesses supreme intelligence and all knowledge. His basic character is love. He is a God of truth and justice. He created the heavens and the earth and all that is in them though Jesus Christ.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, who was the Word before He came to earth as Jesus Christ the Messiah (Savior) and eternally existed with God the Father for a time we can only characterize as past eternity. The word emptied Himself of His divinity, came to earth as the Messiah, the divine Son and only begotten of God the Father, conceived by the Holy Spirit, born in the human flesh of the virgin Mary. God the Father created all things by Jesus Christ, and nothing was made without Him.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God and not a separate equal third Being/Person in a Trinity. God is Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the very essence, the mind, life and power of God. It is not a Being. The Spirit is inherent in the Father and the Son and emanates from Them throughout the entire universe (1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 139:7; Jeremiah 23:24). It was through the Spirit that God created all things (Genesis 1:1–2; Revelation 4:11). It is the power by which Christ maintains the universe (Hebrews 1:2–3). It is given to all who repent of their sins and are baptized (Acts 2:38–39) and is the power (Acts 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:6–7) by which all believers may be “overcomers” (Romans 8:37, KJV; Revelation 2:26–27) and will be led to eternal life.

SCRIPTURES

I have discussed at length how God reveals Himself in the Bible in my free eBook “Jews Behold Your God”, Chapter 12 (http://www.churchofgodmessage.com/chapter12jbg.html).

The Father is the Supreme Being, Sovereign over the universe and is a spirit (John 4:24) and has existed eternally (Deuteronomy 33:27, Isaiah 57:15), is Almighty (Job 42:2, Jeremiah 32:17) all knowing (Psalm 147:5, 1 John 3:20), omnipresent (2 Chronicles 2:6, Jeremiah 23:23-24). Jesus Christ acknowledged that His Father was greater than He (John 10:29; 14:28) and that He was sent to reveal the Father (Matthew 11:27; John 1:18; 17:24–26).

The Son, Jesus Christ, is the “Word” (Greek logos), through whom the Father created all things (John 1:1–3). He is the “only begotten Son” of the Father (John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18) and Savior of all mankind (1 John 4:14). He died for our sins and was resurrected that we might be saved from eternal death (Acts 4:10–12). He now sits at the Father’s right hand and acts as our Advocate and High Priest and as the Living Head of God’s true Church (Ephesians 1:22–23; Hebrews 4:14–16).

There is only one God (Deuteronomy 6:4 and 1 Corinthians 8:4). But John 1 tells us that the Father is God and Jesus Christ is also God, both existed at the beginning of creation, and that Jesus Christ is the “Word” (Greek “logos”) through whom the Father created all things, He is the “only begotten Son” of the Father (John 1:14, 18) and is the Savior of all mankind (1 John 4:14).

So, if God is one, then how can both God the Father and Jesus Christ be God?

Two God Beings Revealed in the Old Testament

Let’s look at other scriptures in the Old Testament that shed light on who God is.

The book of Genesis records how God created everything. Before creating man God states in Genesis 1:26, “26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:”

Why did God use the plural expressions ‘Us’ and ‘Our” in this verse? And the word translated God throughout Genesis 1 is the plural noun Elohim which denotes more than one God (referring to the true God) or god (referring to other gods than the true God, such as idols). The translators also felt that the appropriate translation here should be the plural expressions ‘Us’ and ‘Our.’

This points to the likelihood of two or more Beings as true Gods.

How the Word “Elohim” is Used

The singular form of Elohim is Eloah which means “Mighty One”. So, Elohim means “Mighty Ones.” Elohim was used in Genesis 1:26. The same word is used in Genesis 3:22 when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil". Here again the word ‘Us’ is used indicating two God Beings.

At another critical time in man’s history, the time of Noah’s Flood, both God Beings were involved in making the decision jointly.

Genesis 6:5-8 states, “5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

The word used for Lord and God is YHWH here meaning the Word who later became Jesus Christ. Thus, this is the God Being YHWH making these observations. But then the word Elohim is used in verses 11-13 which are translated God.

Genesis 6:11-13, “11 The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”

The Lord (YHWH) had made the observations that the earth had become corrupt, but that Noah walked with God. But now both God Beings [Elohim] are involved in the decision to destroy the world in a global Flood and save Noah. Here God the Father confirms the decision YHWH had made.

Later there was another critical time in man’s history when both God Beings were involved in making a decision jointly. This occurred when mankind built a tower in rebellion against God. This is stated in Genesis 11:5-7 (NKJV),” 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And the Lord said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."

Here the statements are being made by the Word [YHWH], translated Lord, but then in verse 7 the word “Us” is used again indicating that the Father was also involved in making the decision to confuse the language of mankind. These examples illustrate the perfect unity that exists between the two divine Beings in making decisions.

Meaning of the Hebrew Word “echad”

The Hebrew word translated “one” in Deuteronomy 6:4 to mean “God is one” is echad. In Strong’s Hebrew dictionary, echad (no. 259) and its root word achad (no. 258) can besides the number one, also mean united as one, first (in importance), alike, alone, together or unify. With these possible meanings the translation of Deuteronomy 6:4 in addition to “The Lord our God is one Lord” can also be “the Lord our God is first in importance”; “The Lord our God is God alone” [meaning all others are idols and not God]; “The Lord our God is united as one”; “The Lord our God is one in unity”.

The correct meaning should be determined by the context in which the word is used.  For the context, read verses 4-5, “4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” When we consider verse 5, the context would indicate that the word echad implies that God is to be “first in importance” or be “top priority” in our lives. The translation “The Lord our God is God alone” also fits the context.

Moses revealed the existence of two God Beings in the very first book Genesis. He was also implying how the two God Beings are one. So, the translation “The Lord our God is united (or unified) as one” could fit the context as well, meaning that the two God Beings are perfectly united in purpose and are of the same mind. That’s why Jesus said in John 10:30, “I and My Father are one.”

Thus, all these different translations of Deuteronomy 6:4 would mean that two God Beings are mentioned because none of the translations limit God to just one Being.

Other Old Testament prophets also indicated there are two God Beings.

King David was a prophet (Acts 2:30) who was inspired by God’s holy spirit. He declared in 2 Samuel 23:2, “2 The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and his word was in my tongue.” David revealed the existence of two God Beings in the psalms.

He writes in Psalm 110:1, “1 The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”

Here David is declaring the existence of two Lords. This was a prophetic vision David saw which showed the Lord, that is God the Father saying to David’s Lord [the future Jesus Christ] to sit at His [Father’s] right hand until He makes His [Jesus’] enemies His footstool.

This prophecy was fulfilled after Jesus’ sacrifice, Who now sits at the Father’s right hand. Peter the apostle identified the two Lords in Acts 2:32-36, “32 This Jesus has God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33 Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted…34 For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he says himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, sit thou on my right hand, 35 Until I make your foes your footstool. 36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Thus Acts 2 and Psalm 110 together make it clear that there are two Lords, God the Father and Jesus Christ as His son.

David also describes two God beings prophetically in Psalm 2, as a Father and a Son while talking about God's kingdom. Psalm 2:7-12 (NKJV): "I will declare the decree; The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession...Now therefore, be wise, O kings; be instructed, you judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way, when His wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are they who put their trust in Him."

People can be blessed only if they put their trust in God. Therefore, the Son being talked about here is also God, and the one talking about the Son obviously is God. God is prophetically declaring that He would beget a Son who will receive the nations for His inheritance.

Not only to David the prophet but the existence of two God Beings was also revealed to Daniel the prophet in a vision. He writes in Daniel 7:13-14, “13 I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they [the angelic host] brought him [the Son of Man] near before him [the Ancient of Days]. 14 And there was given him [the Son of Man] dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”

Many times, in the New Testament Jesus called Himself the Son of Man. The kingdom that will last forever and ever (Revelation 1:6, “And has made us kings and priests unto God [meaning Jesus Christ] and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever) is identified as God’s Kingdom which Jesus Christ will rule and shall never be destroyed. Revelation 20:4-6 also talks about God’s kingdom with the resurrected and glorified saints reigning with Christ for a thousand years as kings and priests (Revelation 1:6 and 5:10). Jesus Christ will remain King of these kings and Lord of these lords (Revelation 17:14 and 19:16). Deuteronomy 4:19 shows that God’s kingdom will extend to the universe after God’s plan of salvation is complete on earth after the thousand years.

The writer of the book of Hebrews confirms the fulfillment of the prophecies of David and Daniel about Jesus Christ the Son of God in Hebrews 1:1-8, “1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, You are my Son, this day have I begotten you? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he brings in the first begotten into the world, he says, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he says, Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.”

John 1:1-3, 14 also confirms the existence of two God Beings involved in creation, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made…14 And the Word became 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.”

When we put all these Jewish Scriptures together, we conclude that they mention two God Beings. And the New Testament scriptures also show the existence of two God Beings, though scriptures quoted earlier had said, “God is one.”

How is God One?

We see that both the Old Testament and the New Testaments declare God is one. But both the Old and New Testaments also reveal the existence of two God Beings. How can we reconcile these scriptures? How can two God Beings be one?

Jesus said in John 10:30, “30 I and my Father are one.” How are God the Father and Jesus Christ one?

Let’s see examples in the Bible that show how two or more beings can be one.

The very first example of oneness in the Bible is the union of a man and a woman in marriage. When God created the institution of marriage, He said in Genesis 2:24, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh."

In marriage two beings become one flesh. They still exist as two separate beings, but they have joined together to form one unit. They have become one family. They also become one as they produce children, adding to the family. For example, George Jones marries Sally Smith and become the one Jones family, but still two separate beings, Mr. George Jones and Mrs. Sally Jones. They then have children John Jones, Sara Jones, David Jones and Jennifer Jones. They are all separate human beings but all part of the Jones family. So now many have become one.

A human family is the clue to understanding how God the Father and Jesus Christ are one, though separate Beings. The word translated God in the book of Genesis in almost all places is the word Elohim. Genesis 1:26 states: “26 And God said, Let us make man in our image…” Here God is using the pronoun “us” to describe Himself instead of the pronoun “me”. This means the word God is a uniplural noun like the word family which includes more than one person. The English word God then does not imply just one Being, but more than one Being shares that common name as the family name Jones is shared by many in our example.

So, God is a family name which at present is shared by two members. We identify these two members separately as God the Father, and the other member as Jesus Christ. Now John makes perfect sense when he said in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” That is how Jesus Christ and the Father are One.

The Bible provides other examples of oneness, the Church being one. The Catholic Church is one Church but has more than a billion members.

Paul the apostle compared the Church to the different individual parts of one human body in 1 Corinthians 12:12-13 (NKJV). He writes: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit."

Paul here describes how many individual members become one in a Church when they are baptized into the Church and receive God’s holy spirit.

The Old Testament also provides an example of oneness in the ancient nation of Israel.  Judges 20:1, 8-11 (NKJV) state: "1 So all the children of Israel came out, from Dan to Beersheba, as well as from the land of Gilead, and the congregation gathered together as one man before the Lord at Mizpah…8 So all the people arose as one man ... 11 So, all the men of Israel were gathered against the city, united together as one man." Here the entire nation of Israel came together as “one man” in unity and purpose to deal with a villainous act committed by men of the tribe of Benjamin. All these men were individual citizens of the nation of Israel. But they became one in unity and common purpose.

These examples of oneness in the Bible and the uniplural noun Elohim teach us that the word God, like the words family, Church and nation, is a word for a single entity with two or many members. And that entity can add members and still remain one entity. God in the Bible means the Family of God at present is composed of only two members, Father God and Jesus God. But this family can and is destined to expand as human beings are resurrected as literal immortal sons and daughters of God, as a human family can expand by reproduction.

The Biblical truth is that God is reproducing Himself through human beings to add many sons to His family. John the apostle described man’s potential to become sons of God like Jesus Christ in 1 John 3:1-3: “1 Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore, the world knows us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he [that is Jesus Christ] shall appear, we shall be like him [with a body composed of the same spirit]; for we shall see him as he is.”

John could not have made the potential of man clearer. Man’s potential is to become literal immortal sons of God as Jesus Christ is the Son of God. God’s plan is to have human beings be born into His family as His literal sons and daughters and brothers of Jesus Christ. And when we become Sons of God, we shall be like Jesus Christ, meaning have a spirit body and powers like those of Jesus Christ. But before we can realize that potential, we must become one among ourselves and one with God as Jesus Christ is one with God, totally united in love, faith, direction, thinking, attitude and purpose.

In John 17 Jesus Christ prayed to the Father to accomplish this in God’s Church with the power of His holy spirit. Verses 20-23 (NKJV) state: “20 "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”

Jesus Himself confirmed that He was divine and that is man’s potential as well when he is resurrected and his powers multiplied trillions of times. He said in John 10:32-35: “32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do you stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, for a good work we do not stone you; but for blasphemy; and because that you, being a man, make yourself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, You are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken 36 Say you of Him, whom the Father has sanctified, and sent into the world, You blaspheme; because I said, I am the Son of God?”

Jesus here quoted Psalm 82:6 to show that man’s potential is to be called gods or become gods as children of God and affirmed that this scripture is the infallible truth and cannot be broken. Here Jesus also plainly said He is the Son of God. A Son of God has to be God.

WAS JESUS ORIGINALLY CREATED?

John 1:1-2 tells us, “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.”

Almost all of Christianity interprets these verses to mean that God the Father and the Word existed for past eternity. But in 2007, two verses led me to question that view.

Colossians 1:15 (KJV) states: "Who [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” And Revelation 3:14 states: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things, says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

If Jesus Christ was the “firstborn of every creature” and “the beginning of the creation of God”, that means that the Word was originally created by God the Father. I decided to research this question further because I was afraid to go against the interpretation accepted by all of Christianity and even God’s Church which accepted the interpretation in bible commentaries.

My research and conclusion follow. Let me state that I reached the conclusion that the Word was originally created by God the Father. I felt the ridicule of my Church because in many sermons after that the Church’s position was stated again and again. So, I prayed to God almighty to settle this question for me. In early 2008, God delivered a message to me through an angel that the Word was originally created by God the Father in a time period which we can term only as “past eternity.” This is explained next. All this is described in my free eBook “God’s Messages Delivered Through Angels” with proof that God Himself provided that He had indeed delivered messages to me through angels. The proof is the first message delivered to me was that Sainis are Jews. Then God confirmed to Queen Elizabeth II that I was also a descendant of King David who was a Jew. She shared the message with many leaders.

Now the proofs that Jesus Christ was originally created as the Word.

We learn from John 1:1-3 that the Word existed with God the Father before the creation of anything. Does that mean that the Word has always existed or did God the Father originally create Him?

To answer this question, let us first consider who was Melchizedek?

Melchizedek is first introduced to us in Genesis. After Abraham rescued his nephew Lot, Melchizedek met him: “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the Most High God” (Genesis 14:18).

Then David in Psalm 110 sheds further light on the identity of Melchizedek. In the first verse David talks about both God the Father and the Word: “The Lord said unto my [David’s] Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” It is Christ who now sits at the right hand of the Father (Hebrews 8:1; 10:12; 12:2).

Now notice verse 4: “The Lord has sworn, and will not repent, You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.” Here the same Lord is speaking of David’s Lord that He is a priest after the order of Melchizedek. This certainly identifies Melchizedek as the Word. The book of Hebrews provides further strong evidence of the identity of Melchizedek.

Consider Melchizedek’s attributes described by Paul: “For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3 Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abides a priest continually.”
(Hebrews 7:1-3).

The title “King of Righteousness” cannot apply to any human being for “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Only a divine Being can properly bear this title.

Melchizedek’s next awesome title is “King of Peace.” That too cannot apply to human beings, because fallible human beings do not know the way to peace (Romans 3:10, 17).

Then verse 3 describes Melchizedek as being “without father, without mother, without descent [or genealogy], having neither beginning of days, nor end of life, but made like unto the Son of God, abides a priest continually.” This means Melchizedek’s priesthood never ceased. The only high priest who could fit this description was the Word. He had no physical human parents. “Having neither beginning of days” seems to imply that He has always existed.

And the phrase “made like the Son of God” means that He was not yet the Son of God, that is, until He was begotten by God the Father.

Melchizedek could not have been the Father because he was the "priest of the Most High God." He could have been only the eternal, preexistent Word who later became Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

These attributes of Melchizedek seem to imply that the Word always existed along with God the Father. But to understand if the Word always existed, or was at some point created by the Father, we need to analyze other Scriptures.

One of the basic principles for understanding the Bible is that we must consider all scriptures on a subject together. Only then can we come to a complete and accurate understanding of the subject. To understand if Jesus always existed along with the Father, or was at some point created by the Father, we must study all scriptures on the subject.

It is clear from the gospel of John that God created all things through Jesus Christ. What John wrote is confirmed by Paul the apostle in Colossians 1:16: "For by Him all things were 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."

Thus, the 24 elders mentioned in Revelation 4, 5 and 14, all the angels, all things in heaven, and the entire material universe were created by the Word, who later became Jesus Christ. But before the creation, Jesus Christ was with God the Father and was Himself God. Both God the Father and the Word planned and thought through the whole creation before actually creating it.

Micah 5:2 states: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, from everlasting."

The New International Version (NIV) renders this verse: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me, one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times."

New American Standard Bible renders this verse: "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel, His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity."

This verse states that the Messianic King to come was 'from everlasting.'

The Hebrew word translated 'everlasting' is owlam or olam, which is number 5769 in the Hebrew and Chaldee dictionary of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. It can mean concealed, i.e. the vanishing point; generally of time out of mind (past or future), i.e. (practically) eternity; frequently as an adverb always, ancient (time), any more, continuance, eternal, for everlasting, evermore, of old, lasting, long (time), perpetual, at any time, (beginning of the world) plus without end. Therefore, the words 'whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting' can mean from so old that we human beings cannot imagine it, or from way before the world began, or from ancient time, or practically eternity. However, 'practically eternity' does not necessarily mean absolute eternity, i.e. without beginning.

But let us examine more scriptures to see if the Word has always existed along with the Father. IN HIS MESSAGE THIS IS WHAT THE ANGEL GAVE ME AS PROOF:

Colossians 1:15 (KJV) states: "Who [Jesus Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature.” NKJV renders this verse: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

If Jesus Christ before His human birth was the image of God the Father, it implies that God the Father had to have existed before Him and the Word then became His image. Someone or something has to exist first before another can become his or its image. If Jesus Christ is the firstborn of every creature, then it implies that He was created before every creature. Firstborn here does not imply firstborn from the dead. By implying 'firstborn from the dead', we are reading something into the text which is not there. So, it does not matter if the translation is 'firstborn of every creature' or 'firstborn over all creation', it still means that Jesus was the firstborn.

We think that being born implies union between a male and female. But God the Father did not need a “female” to produce Jesus from Himself. He is spirit and Jesus was born (or created) from His spirit body. That is the sense in which Jesus was the firstborn of God.

Revelation 3:14 states: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; these things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

NKJV also translates it the same way. So does the New American Standard, American Standard, Revised Standard, New Revised Standard and the New Century Version. But New International Version renders it: "To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation."

The Greek word translated 'beginning' in this verse is arche, pronounced ar-khay, number 746 in the Greek dictionary of Strong's Exhaustive Concordance. It means a commencement, or chief (in various applications of order, time, place or rank); beginning, corner, first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule. While this word may mean chief or ruler, nowhere is this word translated chief or ruler in the entire King James Version. Forty times it is translated as 'beginning' and once as 'beginnings'. It is translated as magistrates in Luke12:11, principality in 2 places and principalities in 6 places. But the context of the verse shows that the correct translation is 'beginning', and 'ruler' is the wrong translation.

Before beginning His messages to each of the seven churches, Jesus Christ is revealing something more about Himself that was not previously known before the book of Revelation was given, or to confirm His identity as the God of the Old Testament. Jesus had already revealed Himself as 'the ruler over the kings of the earth' in Revelation 1:5, and the gospels and the epistles had made it abundantly clear in many places that Jesus is the Creator of all of God's creation and ruler over it. Jesus therefore could not have meant 'ruler of God's creation' in Revelation 3:14. Jesus meant to reveal something new about Himself, that He was 'the beginning of God's creation,' meaning that He was the first Being that God the Father created. This confirms that Jesus was created, or as Colossians 1:15 says "the firstborn of every creature."

Here is what Jesus revealed about Himself before beginning His message to each of the seven churches:

Revelation 2:1:"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things says he that holds the seven stars [angels of the seven churches - Rev 1:20] in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks [the seven churches - Rev 1:20].”

Revelation 2:8: "And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things says the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive:"

Revelation 2:12: "And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These things says he which has the sharp sword with two edges:"

Revelation 2:18: "And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things says the Son of God, who has his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass:"

Revelation 3:1: "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things says He that has the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know your works…"

Revelation 3:7: "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things says he that is holy, he that is true, He that has the Key of David, he that opens and no man shuts, and shuts and no man opens:"

Revelation 3:14: "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God."

These messages reveal something new about Jesus Christ, or confirm that He was 'the First and the Last' mentioned in Isaiah 41:4, 44:6 and 48:12 as in the message to the church in Smyrna. Therefore, the translation of Revelation 3:14 as 'ruler of God's creation' is totally out of place in the messages to the churches. It does not fit the pattern of what Jesus Christ was revealing about Himself, or describing about Himself.

Other sayings of Jesus also lend support to His statement that He was 'the beginning of God's creation', or that God the Father started His creation first with Him.

Jesus Christ Himself said in John 14:28, "…my Father is greater than I." And in John 10:29, "My Father...is greater than all." Paul also stated in 1 Corinthians 11:3, "...the head of Christ is God." Jesus is clearly subject to the Father, and God the Father is the undisputed Head of the family.

Jesus stated in John 5:26 (KJV): "For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the Son to have life in himself." Jesus is stating here that God the Father granted to Jesus to have life inherent Himself. This means that if God the Father had not given to Jesus life inherent in Himself, then He would not have been the Self-existent One. God the Father granted that to Him after practically a past eternity of living together when total trust had been developed between them. This then implies that God the Father gave life to Jesus Christ in the first place, long before the world began, or before anything else was created. This means that the Word had not always existed along with the Father, and that God the Father created Him.

Jesus also said in John 8:28: "...but as my Father has taught me, I speak these things." This is a clear statement that the Father taught Jesus Christ before anything was created by the Word. Earlier in verse 26 Jesus had said, "...I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him." Clearly there was a stage at which the Word did not know everything, needed to be taught and still learns from the Father. This can only mean that the Word has not always existed with the Father, and that He was created by the Father.

God the Father seems to have carried out the creation in stages. He first created the Word. There was no heaven at that time. The days and nights began with the material creation. So, the Word had no 'beginning of days.' He existed before days began. God the Father then taught the Word everything, including His law of love. This could have gone on for a very very long time, and the only words that come close to describing that length of time is past eternity. God the Father had thought through His entire plan of creation well before He created the Word. Then He let the Word plan all the creation in discussion with Himself. The Word learnt from God the Father through this planning process. He had to learn how to create. God the Father taught the Word everything. And He also gave the honor of creating everything to the Word.

The only reasonable conclusion we can reach then is that Jesus Christ was created by God the Father as the Word or Spokesman for the God family. He was the beginning of creation by God the Father.

WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT

What does the Bible reveal about the holy spirit?

In the Bible, the Holy Spirit is most often referred to as God’s divine power. In the Old Testament, Jewish scholars have never considered the Holy Spirit to be anything other than God’s power. For example:

Zechariah 4:6: “…Not by might, nor by power, but my spirit, says the Lord of hosts.”
Micah 3:8: “But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord…”

Even in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is most often referred to as God’s divine power. For example:

2 Timothy 1:7: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Here is how the angel told Mary how Jesus would be supernaturally conceived in her womb (NKJV): "The Holy Spirit will come upon you…and the power of the Highest," which "will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35).

Jesus began His ministry "in the power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14). This was the same power that enabled Christ to perform many mighty miracles during His ministry. He told His followers, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8 - NKJV). Thus, in many places the Bible depicts the Holy Spirit as the power of God.

Other Attributes of the Holy Spirit

The Bible describes the Holy Spirit in many other ways that demonstrate that it is not a divine person. The United Church of God (UCG) booklet “Is God a Trinity” states on pp 55-56:

“The Holy Spirit is spoken of in many ways that demonstrate that it is not a divine person. For example, it is referred to as a gift (Acts:10:45; 1 Timothy:4:14) that God gives without limit (John:3:34, NIV). We are told that the Holy Spirit can be quenched (1 Thessalonians:5:19), that it can be poured out on people (Acts:2:17, 33), and that we are baptized with it (Matthew:3:11).

“People can drink of it (John:7:37-39), partake of it (Hebrews:6:4) and be filled with it (Acts:2:4; Ephesians:5:18). The Holy Spirit also renews us (Titus:3:5) and must be stirred up within us (2 Timothy:1:6). These impersonal characteristics are certainly not attributes of a person or personal being!

“The Spirit is also described by other designations—"the Holy Spirit of promise," "the guarantee of our inheritance" and "the spirit of wisdom and revelation" (Ephesians:1:13-14, 17)—that show it is not a person.

“In contrast to God the Father and Jesus Christ, who are consistently compared to human beings in Their form and shape, the Holy Spirit is consistently represented, by various symbols and manifestations, in a completely different manner—such as breath (John:20:22), wind (Acts:2:2), fire (verse 3), water (John:4:14; 7:37-39), oil (Psalm:45:7; compare Acts:10:38; Matthew:25:1-10), a dove (Matthew:3:16) and an "earnest," or down payment, on eternal life (2 Corinthians:1:22; 5:5; Ephesians:1:13-14, KJV).

“To say the least, these depictions are difficult to understand if the Holy Spirit is a person!

“In Matthew:1:20 we find further proof that the Holy Spirit is not a distinct entity, but God's divine power. Here we read that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. However, Jesus continually prayed to and addressed God the Father as His Father and not the Holy Spirit (Matthew:10:32-33; 11:25-27; 12:50). He never represented the Holy Spirit as His Father! Clearly, the Holy Spirit was the agency or power through which the Father begot Jesus as His Son—not a separate person or being altogether.”

Teaching of the Apostles about the Holy Spirit

Even the writings of the apostles Paul and Peter do not show the holy spirit to be a person. Paul's standard greeting in his letters to the churches is "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." In each of his greetings he never mentions the Holy Spirit. Peter also does not include the holy spirit in greetings in both his epistles. This would be an astonishing oversight if the holy spirit was indeed a person or entity coequal with God the Father and Christ.

Paul states that "there is one God, the Father… and one Lord Jesus Christ …" (1 Corinthians 8:6). He makes no mention of the Holy Spirit as a divine person.

1 John 1:3 tells us, "truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." Thus, the apostle John also does not mention the Holy Spirit in our fellowship with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.

Jesus also never spoke of the Holy Spirit as a divine third person. He spoke only of the relationship between God the Father and Himself as in Matthew 26:39 where He prayed to the Father: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” Other verses that describe their relationship are Mark 13:32; 15:34; John 5:18, 22; etc. The Holy Spirit as a person is conspicuously absent from Christ's relationship with God.

We should also consider that, in visions of God's throne recorded in the Bible, although the Father and Christ are seen, the Holy Spirit is never seen (Acts 7:55-56; Daniel 7:9-14; Revelation 4-5; 7:10). Jesus is repeatedly mentioned as being at the right hand of God, but no one is mentioned as being at the Father's left hand. Nowhere are three divine persons pictured together in the Scriptures.

Even in the final book of the Bible (and the last to be written), the Holy Spirit as a divine person is absent from its pages. The book describes "a new heaven and new earth" (Revelation 21:1) wherein "the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them" (verse 3). Christ, the Lamb of God, is also present (verse 22). The Holy Spirit, however, is again absent—another oversight that cannot be explained if this Spirit is the third person of a triune God.

Those who adhere to the trinity doctrine use two small passages in support of this doctrine. One is I John 5:7: “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” These words are a spurious addition to the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible in the early fourth century, during the heat of the controversy between the Roman Catholic Church and a Dr. Arius of Alexandria. They do not appear in any of the older Greek manuscripts or in other modern English translations. Bible commentaries explain that these words were never written by the apostle John.

The second passage used in support of the Trinity doctrine is Matthew 28:19 (NKJV), “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in [the Greek word used here is eis which means into] the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”

Jamieson Fauset Brown commentary states: “baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost--It should be, "into the name"; as in 1 Corinthians 10:2, "And were all baptized unto (or rather 'into') Moses"; and Galatians 3:27, "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ."

This passage is not a description of the nature of God, existing as 3 named persons. It is a comment on the process of becoming disciples by baptism after conversion. And three names are involved in the process. The three do not have to be names of persons and are not. Buildings, mountains, hills etc are named but are not persons.

The process of becoming disciples was described by Peter in Acts 2:38 (NKJV), “38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Therefore Matthew 28:19 is stating that 3 named entities are involved in making disciples which process is completed by baptism. At baptism we enter into a covenant relationship with God (that is God the Father) and Jesus Christ. We enter into that relationship by first repenting of our sins, and it is the goodness of God (God the Father and Jesus Christ) that leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). After we are led to repentance and have decided to enter into a covenant relationship with God by being baptized, our sins must first be forgiven. That is possible only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. After our sins have been forgiven which is symbolized by burial of our old self in a ‘watery grave’ at baptism by immersion in water, we are resurrected to a new life when we come out of the watery grave. But baptism itself does not impart us God’s divine nature. God’s divine nature comes only by God’s holy spirit. God gives it to us after the laying on of the hands of a God’s true minister and prayer for us to receive the holy spirit. God imparts to us the seed of His divine nature by giving us an earnest or down payment of His holy spirit. Then that seed must grow in us through spiritual development until Christ is fully formed in us (Galatians 4:19 (NIV), “19 My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you.”)

Thus Matthew 28:19 is not providing us 3 names of God Beings existing as a Trinity (or a Triune God) but is describing the process of becoming Jesus’ disciples in which God the Father, Jesus Christ and the holy spirit are fully involved. At baptism we are begotten children of God through the holy spirit and will be born as literal children after we have fully grown (Ephesians4:13, “13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”) through spiritual development.

Clearly, the holy spirit, from the evidence found in the Bible, is not a person in a supposed Trinity. Unfortunately, this unbiblical doctrine obscures the biblical truth that God is a family—a family which is the ultimate destiny of every human being unless they disqualify themselves! Man’s ultimate potential is to become members of God’s family as His literal, immortal Sons, inherit and rule the universe with Him.

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