The Unified oneness of God
"You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. " (James 2:19) This is a most unusual thing to say about the demons who do not question if God exists, having seen Him with their own eyes. Instead, this verse is saying that the demons understand that the three persons of the Trinity are in perfect unity, without difference of opinion, plan or authority. The unity between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is what makes the demons shudder, not the fact that God exists. The verse makes no sense if the demons shudder merely because they believe in God. Its God's unity that makes them shudder.
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Yachid vs. Echad The most important verse Jews memorized in the Bible was Deut 6:4: "Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one [Echad]!" There are a few words in Hebrew that the Holy Spirit could have used a word the has one exclusive meaning: the numeric, solitary oneness of God ("yachid" or "bad"). |
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Instead the Holy Spirit chose to use the Hebrew word, "echad" which is used most often as a unified one, and sometimes as numeric oneness. For example, when God said in Genesis 2:24 "the two shall become one [echad] flesh" it is the same word for "one" that was used in Deut 6:4. |
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In the New Testament, the word "hen" also means a unified one. To the horror of Unitarians, "hen" is used in both Mk 12:29 (which quotes Deut 6:4) and Mt 19:5 (which quotes Gen 2:24). |
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echad |
Gen 2:24 |
two become one |
Matt 19:5 |
hen |
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Deut 6:4 |
God is one |
Mk 12:29 |
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This is most troubling for Anti-Trinitarians since the word yachid, the main Hebrew word for solitary oneness, is never used in reference to God. Click here for a detailed look at this fascinating word study. |
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Grammatical Plurality applied to God in the Old Testament:
.Click here for a detailed discussion of plurals applied to God in the Old Testament |
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Nouns : God - elohim, Lord - adonaiPronouns: We, Us, Our Adjectives: holy Verbs: creates, makes, wanders, reveals, judges |
Plural of Majesty you say?
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... amused about they way Anti-Trinitarians twist every plural reference to God as a mere "Royal We". After all, Elizabeth was a Trinitarian, and would not be one bit amused that her own words were being used to trash the very trinity she believed in! "Let US make man in OUR image" (Gen 1:26) cannot be "Plural of Majesty" because this poetic device did not even exist in scripture until after the Old Testament was completed. The apostolic fathers had never heard of "plural of majesty", much less believe it. They unanimously interpreted Gen 1:26 as the Father speaking to the Son. |
Multiple Yahweh's (personalities) in one verse
By Steve Rudd
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