Holy Spirit #1

Unlocking the Foolishness of the Trinity

Fred R. Coulter—October 31, 1992

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Today is the 31st of October, which means that according to the world it is Halloween and tonight is the night of 'trick or treat.' I think that doctrinally a lot of people are getting 'trick or treated.' Since it is supposed to be the night of ghosts, goblins, ghouls and all that sort of thing, and since I promised to bring a series on the Holy Spirit, it just happened to work out that we're going to have the study on the Holy Spirit in the Bible. We're going to learn some very interesting things about the doctrine of the trinity and how it got started and how they define it.

Right now there are a lot of people in the Churches of God who are getting 'trick or treated' with the trinity. I talked to Carl Franklin after we got back from the Feast and he said, 'You won't believe it. There is a trinity movement in the Church of God Seventh Day. We know that the WCG went to it.

We do have a booklet on The Holy Spirit. We will see that the same thing happened to the Church back then as it has now: The people were 'trick or treated' with doctrine.

from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature by John McClintock and James Strong.

Trinity: Toward the end of the 1st century and during the 2nd century many learned men came over, both from Judaism and paganism, to Christianity.

Who were these 'learned men'? What do you mean, 'learned men'?

These brought with them, into the Christian schools of theology, their platonic ideas and phraseology and they especially borrowed from the philosophical writings of Philo.

Philo was a Hellenistic Jew who lived in Alexandria. We have quite a few writings from him. I was given a book that had quite a bit of Philo in it. That was the book by Edersheim. The first three chapters were all Philo and hard to follow, very difficult reading.

As was very natural, they can find themselves in their philosophizing respecting the trinity, principally the Logos, the Christ.

 "In the beginning was the Word"; in the Greek: 'in arche en ho Logos'

Their views respecting the Holy Spirit are far less clearly expressed. These philosophical Christians asserted, rather, the Divineness of the Son in the Spirit, and their Divine origin, more than the equal deity with the Father.

This all started when the answer was given on radio by the official representative of the Worldwide Church of God when it was in Detroit. A question on a call-in radio program came in and the question was: 'Do you believe in the trinity?' Obviously, the Worldwide Church of God, at that point, the official doctrine was, 'No we don't believe in the trinity.' The answer that came out was, 'We believe that God the Father is God, that Jesus Christ is God and that the Holy Spirit is Divine.'

You will probably remember, if you go back a few of years when we brought this out, that's the exactly the same steps that they took to bring in the doctrine of the trinity. We will see that kind of logic right out of the excepts from the book My Catholic Faith by Louis Morrow

Justin Martyr expressly declares that the Holy Spirit is the Divine power to act and execute. Most of these fathers of the 1st and 2nd centuries…

Notice how long it took? What are we talking about? Over 100 to 200 years later before this was officialized.

…and most of them generally assented to the philosophy of Plato. At the end of the 3rd century, in Origen's time, it was thus written: Few as yet taught the entire equality of these three persons, but had allowed in accordance with their platonic principles, that the Son, though, belonging to the Divine nature. Also in regard to the Holy Spirit, there was nothing decided during the first three centuries by the ecclesiastical authorities respecting His nature, the characteristics of His person or His relation to the Father and the Son. Finally it was at the Council of Chalcedon in 451A.D. that the Roman Catholic Church decided what its official doctrinal position would be, which was based upon the philosophy of Philo and Plato. Paul speaks of these philosophers…

Here is Shamp and Herzog's conclusion concerning the trinity.

It must be borne in mind however, that dogmatic theology…
Dogmatic theology is based upon clear understandable Scriptures. What would be one of the dogmatic beliefs of our Church?

• the Sabbath
• the Holy Days
• clean and unclean meats

Those are dogmatic because they are clearly spelled out.

But the dogmatic theology does not offer these explanations as a rational perception of the matter, but it holds the trinity rather to be a mystery.

We'll cover that and we'll see why it's a mystery. It's a mystery not because it's truly a mystery, but it's a mystery because the thinking is so clouded that the only way you can explain this kind of cloudy thinking, or nearly irrational thinking, is by saying, 'If you don't understand it, it's a mystery.' Then they say, 'You explain it to me.' 'Well, I can't because it's a mystery.' We'll see how his kind of thing took place.

These statements, which prove the trinity, must therefore, be considered rather as negative, presenting non-Christian views, than as positive elucidations.

The development of the Christian doctrine of the trinity is historically clear, being almost exclusively due to Christological speculation.

Those are nice words for saying, 'Those who speculate about Christ and come up with this idea.'

These religious leaders steeped in Platonic philosophy abandon the expectation of the future Messiah, or regard his kingdom as entirely of a moral nature.

That's exactly what has happened. There's a reason why these things go step-by-step. I want to cover about the Holy Spirit and the trinity. Then next, we will cover about 'born again' because they go hand-in-hand. If you believe in the trinity, then, you're sooner or later going to believe that the Kingdom of God is not coming, or it's in your heart. Therefore, in order to be born again—because you're not going to be in the resurrection, but your soul is going to heaven so you're not being born again at the resurrection—you must be born again now in your mind somehow. That's how that doctrine begins.

Let's see what Paul told us about philosophers and philosophy, then we will read a definition of it. Maybe this will make much more sense to you when we read it in the light of what we're going to cover, here.

Colossians 2:1: "Now, I want you to understand what great concern I have for you, and for those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh; that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding…" (vs 1-2).

Whatever you need to know for salvation, you can be fully assured that God is going to give you that understanding, without a doubt.

"…unto the knowledge of the mystery of God…" (v 2). Someone could say there's the word mystery—'musterion'—that's what it is in Greek. There are two mysteries in the Bible.

• The secret plan of God that God reveals to those He calls, which then, is a mystery being revealed. That is the mystery of God!

1-Timothy 3:16: "…great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the Spirit… [was raised from the dead] …was seen by angels…was received up in glory." The mystery of God is that which God reveals to those He calls!

• Mystery Babylon the Great! (Rev. 17)

These two ideologies, one being from God the other from Satan, are always in a headlong clash: Not that true Christianity is attacking Satan's way, it's rather Satan attacking God's way. Satan capitalizes on this fact of what is called a mystery.

Colossians 2:2: "…and of the Father, and of Christ" (v 2).

• What is missing?
• In the doctrine of the trinity, what would you expect here? And of the Holy Spirit!

It's not here!

We're going to learn that in the New Testament the trinity was never ever taught. We're going to learn that there are, in fact, only four Scriptures in John that even give an indication that perhaps—when it's misread—that the Holy Spirit could be a person, only four Scriptures in the whole New Testament.

Verse 3: "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." In Whom? The Father and the Son! No Holy Spirit—trinity—here.

Verse 4: "Now this I say so that no one may deceive you by persuasive speech…"—enticing words—persuasive words that sound right! Today I'm going to teach you how to unlock the foolishness of their thinking. That's the key in understanding.

Verse 5: "For though I am indeed absent in the flesh, yet, I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, be walking in Him; being rooted and built up in Him, and being confirmed in the faith, exactly as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Be on guard so that no one takes you captive through philosophy and vain deceit…" (vs 5-8).

We're going to talk a little bit about philosophy today, because the only way that you can come to any doctrine of the trinity is to have a philosophy; vain deceit is emptiness of deceit. Deceit cannot prove a fact. It may be logical to human thinking, but it can't prove a fact.

"…according to the traditions of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ" (v 8).

Let's read the definition from Webster's Dictionary of 'philosophy.' It comes from two Greek words, we'll add before we get there, which is:

• 'philo'—love
• 'sophia'—wisdom

So, you have the words philosophic or philosophy.

Verse 3: "In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge"—'sophia' or 'philosophy'—a substitute for the wisdom of God!

The first contact I ever had with philosophy was when I went to the University of San Francisco, which is a Catholic institution. That was just before I was baptized. I started getting The Plain Truth (Worldwide Church of God) back in March or April 1960. I was listening to the program for the first time and getting all the things that were sent out by the Church of God at that time. I was already that Spring, because you have to pre-register, taking a business major at the college at San Mateo and I was ready to transfer out and go to a four year institution, because I had pretty well had done everything there in the two year college. So, I pre-registered at the University of San Francisco to be able to take the business course that they had.

The Plain Truth was having articles in there about the Ten Commandments and against idolatry, and a series by C. Paul Meredith and The Two Babylons:Satan's Great Deception. I was reading in The Plain Truth about priests in long robes that love the greetings and it was true. I got up there and I looked down on the third floor, down on the center square of the university and here would be the priest in the morning in their long Cossack robes reading their 'prayer missals' as they were walking along. Everyone was saying, 'Good morning, father.' 'Good morning, sister.' 'Good morning, mother.' Someone would come along and say, 'My, that's a nice family.'

They had statues and crucifixes all over the place. Guess what was one of the required courses I had to take? Philosophy 101! I never had philosophy in my entire life. Here we are with a Jesuit priest teaching philosophy. We start right out with Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. You talk about a bunch of 'gobbledygook.' What do they do in those classes? What is the order of things? Here's the genesis: You go all the way down and you have all the breakdown of everything. That was my first introduction to philosophy.

Definition of philosophy from Webster's Dictionary:

• Originally, the love of wisdom or knowledge.
• A study of the processes governing thought and conduct, theory or investigation of the principles of laws that regulate the universe and underlie all knowledge and reality. Included in the study are:
  • aesthetics
  • ethics
  • logic
  • metaphysics

What is metaphysics? The study of the spiritual phenomena in the world around you, whether it be:

• demonism
• UFOs
• extrasensory perception that people have—intuitions, hunches

• The general principles or laws of a field of knowledge, activity, etc., as the philosophy of economics.
• A particular system of principles for the conduct of life. A treatise covering such a system.
• A study of human morals character and behavior, hence: The mental balance believed to result from this—calmness, composure, abbreviation.

Let's see Paul's first encounter with the philosophers. A lot of people say that the Apostle Paul brought into the Church the philosophical, platonic thinking. It didn't happen that way. Paul went right to the center of philosophy. We will see that he did not imbibe in their philosophies.

Acts 17:16: "But while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he saw that the city was wholly given to idolatry, and his spirit was sorely moved within him. Because of this, he reasoned earnestly in the synagogue with the Jews…" (vs 16-17)—because there were a lot of Hellenistic Jews who believed in philosophy like Philo.

"…and those who worshiped there, and daily in the marketplace with those who met with him. Then some philosophers of the Epicureans and the Stoics encountered him…." (vs 17-18).

The Epicureans were those who believed in 'let's eat, drink, and make merry' for life is to have fun, to fulfill, anything that you do that's pleasurable. In today's terminology, that would be called an ultraliberal, which would include all of the activities that are associated with ultra-liberalism: homosexuality, devious thinking, many other philosophies that the ultra-left have.

Now you have the ultra-right who are the Stoics. The Stoics say, 'The only way to fulfillment of the human existence is the deprivation of the body:

• to fast
• to not bathe
• to let your hair grow long
• to be natural
• to starve yourself to death

Or hence the greatest manifestation of that today is Hinduism or extreme Buddhism. It all came from the same source, all came from the same fountain, all came from Satan the devil! It never came from God. What did Paul say to them?

"…And some of them said, 'What will this babbler have to say?' And some said, 'He seems to be a preacher of foreign gods,' because he was preaching to them the Gospel of Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to Mars Hill…" (vs 18-19)—Aeropagus—the center where they would debate and they would have their long, philosophical, rationales.

"…saying, 'May we know what this new teaching is that is spoken by you? For you are bringing certain strange things to our ears…. [not agreeing with them] …So then, we desire to know what these things mean.' (Now, all the Athenians and the strangers sojourning among them spent their leisure in nothing other than to tell and to hear something new.)" (vs 19-21)—a philosophy! Why? They were obsessed as lovers of knowledge!

Verse 22: "Then Paul stood in the center of Mars Hill and said, 'Men, Athenians, I perceive that in all things you are very reverent to deities.'" That's certainly not agreement. Superstitious come from the Greek, 'demonize,' which tells you the source of the philosophy of this world.

Verse 23: "For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your veneration, I also found an altar on which was inscribed, 'To an unknown God.' So then, He Whom you worship in ignorance is the One that I proclaim to you. He is the God Who made the world and all things that are in it. Being the Lord of heaven and earth, He does not dwell in temples made by hands" (vs 23-24).

Most people don't understand it, but those philosophies of ancient times also believed in evolution. Only the circumstances in which we live have changed. The ideas and philosophies confronting us have not changed. You see this in government, in politics and in religion.

As a matter of fact, it's the whole philosophy of one idea or knowledge, against another idea or knowledge, that is generating what we call an election. It's like one man said, 'We have three devils to vote for. You pick which one you like the best. Another one said, 'Considering the government, it's the nature of the beast.' That's what these things produce.

Paul said, 'I'm going to tell you about, v 24: "He is the God Who made the world and all things that are in it. Being the Lord of heaven and earth, He does not dwell in temples made by hands; nor is He served by the hands of men, as though He needs anything, for He gives to all life and breath and all things. And He made of one blood all the nations of men to dwell upon all the face of the earth, having determined beforehand their appointed times and the boundaries of their dwelling; in order that they might seek the Lord, if perhaps they might feel after Him and might find Him…' (vs 24-27).

It means that not that you're going about groping like a blind man feeling for God, that means that within your innermost being you're going to be feeling and seeking for God. He says:

"…though truly, He is not far from each one of us, for in Him we live and move and have our being; as some of the poets among you also have said, 'For we are His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we should not think that the Godhead is like that which is made of gold, or silver, orstone—a graven thing of art devised by the imagination of man" (vs 27-29)—men's thoughts.

Verse 30: "For although God has indeed overlooked… [winked at] …the times of this ignorance, He now commands all men everywhere to repent." Since philosophy is the love of knowledge:

• Who was the first human philosopher? Adam!
• Why did they eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? It was to make them wise, which is 'sophia'!

In craving for that wisdom of the knowledge of the Tree of Good and Evil, Adam was in fact the first philosopher on a human level.

• Who was the first philosopher on a spiritual level? Satan, the devil!
• What happened to him with his knowledge?

Maybe you haven't thought of it that way.

• How many have ever been told that the first philosopher was Adam?

It truly was, on a human level! Here we find the first spiritual philosopher:

Ezekiel 28:12: "…'You seal up the measure of perfection, full of… ['sophia'] …wisdom and perfect in beauty.'"

Verse 17: "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your… ['sophia'] …wisdom by reason of your brightness…." So, Satan was the first philosopher.

• What was the first thing that Satan said in his rebellion? I want to be like God! I am as good as God!
• What is that? That is thinking and thought process!
• What is philosophy? Philosophy is a way to think!

That's how Satan thought! It's no wonder that his religion is called philosophy, or 'philo sophia.'

Let's see that Paul gave us plenty of warnings concerning philosophy, or the wisdom of this world. Are we talking about putting the love of wisdom in place of loving God? That's exactly right! Love of wisdom is not wrong in itself, in the abstract. But we are talking about the kind of philosophy that generates wrong beliefs. That's what we're talking about. This philosophy we are talking about is not the wisdom of God. It is not the knowledge of God or the love thereof, which a person may have. We are to grow in grace and in knowledge. We're to have wisdom and understanding. 1 Cor. shows that what I'm talking about with this philosophy is the wisdom of the world, or the wisdom of the society around us!

Adam was the one who started it by eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil on the human level. Satan was the one who started it on the spiritual level by letting his wisdom—his 'sophia'—be corrupted. Adam was not corrupted before he ate of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Satan became corrupted because his knowledge of what he wanted was that he was going to set himself up as the one who made the rules instead of God; that's what philosophy does. Satan convinced Adam that if he ate this he would be wise and be as God. He was tempted before he ate, but he was corrupted after he ate.

Adam and Eve had the choice to tell Satan, 'No. We're not going to eat it because God says not to.' Note Jas. 1:15-18 about how sin comes forth with temptation. Adam was tempted, but once he went thorough with his temptation, with lust, then his wisdom was corrupted, because he ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It set everything the way of human knowledge from that time to this, which is called the wisdom of this world!

1 Corinthians 1:17: "For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel—not with the wisdom of words…"—the 'sophia' of speaking—which is what Paul was doing in arguing with these Epicureans, etc.

"…lest the cross of Christ be made void. For to those who are perishing, the preaching of the cross is foolishness; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God" (vs 17-18).

That is a conflict that is constantly going on. What is it that we're to do when we have temptations, which exalts itself against the knowledge of God? We're to cast it down and 'bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of the knowledge of Jesus Christ!'

Verse 19: "For it is written, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will nullify the understanding of those who understand.'…. [the wisdom of the world] …Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Did not God make foolish the wisdom of this world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its own wisdom did not know God…" (vs 19-21)—by their 'sophia."

In God's wisdom, He turned them over to their own devices. In their wisdom, they rejected God. "…it pleased God to save those who believe through the foolishness of preaching" (v 21).

Let's see how this philosophy works; Romans 1:18: "Indeed, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the Truth in unrighteousness." That's another way of saying that the wisdom of God is foolishness to the wisdom of this world.

Verse 19: "Because that which may be known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested it to them; for the invisible things of Him are perceived from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that were made—both His eternal power and Godhead—so that they are without excuse; because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; but they became vain in their own reasonings, and their foolish hearts were darkened. While professing themselves to be… ['sophia'] …the wise ones, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed creatures, and creeping things" (vs 19-23).

Now let's use a little bit of logic and let's understand that all logic is not true. All Truth is logic but not all logic is true. Let's take this example:

Man is made of the dust of the earth, we can all agree on that. This chair that Ed is sitting in is made of the dust of the earth. By logic, the chair is equal to Ed because it's made of the dust of the earth. That's how the logic breaks down. I use this as a simple example.

How was it that after God revealed His way that they began to worship other things as God? By philosophy! We'll take a true fact. I'm going to explain to you a truth from Psa. 139 and show how philosophy twists this with what Paul called 'vain deceit, enticing words.'

Psalm 139:1: "O LORD, You have searched me and have known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thoughts afar off. You measure my going about and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways, for there is not a word on my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have enclosed me behind and in front, and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? If I go up into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in the grave, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the farthest parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me shall be night'" (vs 1-11).

What are we talking about here? We're talking about God's creation and how that regardless of where anything is in this world, or any person is in this universe, God's Spirit upholds it!

What do we know about the things that are made? The Bible tells us that we know that the things that are made, are made from 'those things which do not appear!' (Heb. 11).

Those are all true statements. Let's take a philosophical view of that, which excludes God as the cause: Since everything came from 'things that are not seen,' and since all of these things have spirit, or life in them, therefore, all of these things have part of what people would call God in them, therefore, you are God. Every living thing has equal status to you, because it has part of spirit in it, part of life. If that is a fact, we can worship whatever is living. That's how they got into it.

You can take a true premise or a true fact of knowledge, twist and turn it, and you come with wrong conclusions. That's what philosophy and 'vain deceit' together have done. The biggest thing in trying to understand the Truth is to make sure you think by the Scriptures correctly. That's the biggest thing.

We're going to read certain of the definitions from this book My Catholic Faith. I want you to see the problems with logic, or the problems with the philosophical argument of what is called 'Christology.'

From: My Catholic Faith, Holy Spirit: Who is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the blessed trinity. Christ often spoke of the Holy Spirit. One of the most solemn occasions was when He charged the apostles, 'Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.' Therefore, this proves the trinity.

On certain occasions, the Holy Spirit appeared in visible form. When Christ was baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove.

Is a dove a person? No! Right there is an internal conflict of logic. Is God made like unto four-footed beast and flying things? NO!

On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended with a 'mighty rushing wind' and rested upon the apostles in the form of 'tongues of fire.'

Is fire a person? No! How can you best check your logic to make sure what is being said is true? You go back to the original statement! The original statement is:

The Holy Spirit is God, the third person of the blessed trinity.

How can a person appear as a dove? Do we have any place in the Bible that shows that God appeared as a dove? No!

So, the basic premise that 'the Holy Spirit is a third person of the blessed trinity,' is incorrect. The Holy Spirit in the entirety of the Bible never manifested itself as a person—period!

(go to the next track)

Let's see the philosophical discussion of the rationale for it. Notice how the logic does not follow through.

These signs are symbolic of the action of the Holy Spirit. The form of 'the dove' symbolizes the gentleness with which the Holy Spirit works in our souls. The 'rush of wind' represents the strengthening of the will, 'the fire' represents zeal and fervor—the illumination of the mind.

that is not describing a person

The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Can you proceed from a person? Out from a person?

This does not mean that the Holy Spirit began to exist later in time than the Father and Son. He proceeded from them from all eternity.

now we're reasoning in a circle

• Is God eternal? Yes!
• Is Jesus eternal? Yes!

Therefore, the Holy Spirit must be Divine. Well, it's not satanic! You see how the reasoning comes and they get trapped in it?

He is to them as warmth is to fire, existing and proceeding at the same time. There can be no fire without warmth. If there were an eternal fire, there would be eternal warmth.

here's the conclusion
So, since there are the eternal Father and Son there is the eternal Holy Spirit.

this does not prove it's a person

The Holy Spirit is the eternal, mutual love that the Father and the Son bear for each other; but instead of mere feeling, He is a person, a being, a God.

See their false reasoning in all of this as they come down to try and explain that the Holy Spirit is a person. It is only philosophizing, or rationalizing thoughts to come to that conclusion. There is no Scripture which says, 'The Holy Spirit is a person.' That is not found in the entirety of the Bible!

One of things that is said of those people who don't believe in the trinity is that any group or person who does not believe in the trinity belongs to a cult. That is what the WCG (Worldwide Church of God) tried to avoid the appearance of being. Jesus said that 'if they've called Me Beelzebub, don't be disturbed if they call you the same thing.' The truth of the matter is that anyone who believes in the trinity believes in a cult because a cult is something that is not true! You have to turn it around the other way.

The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and the Son because he is God. True God is the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is eternal, all knowing and almighty. The third person is called Holy Spirit from the Latin word 'spiritos,' a breath. Other names used in reference to the Holy Spirit are Holy Ghost…

Remember I mentioned one time that I never could figure out why the translators of the King James translated the word for spirit, which in the Greek is 'pneuma,' ghost. It is that there were certain committees translating different books of the New Testament. The ones who in particularly did Luke and the book of Acts, are the ones that used 'ghost' most frequently. Why? Because they, in that way, could give the impression that the Holy Spirit was a person, because a ghost is a demon, which is a fallen angel! A fallen angel is a personal being. That's why they translated it ghost.

…Advocate, Paraclete, Counselor, Comforter, Substantial Love, Spirit of Truth, etc.

I never saw 'Substantial Love' anywhere.

Here's the trinity. You talk about confusion. Let's come down here and start reading about one God in three persons. The reason this is a mystery is because their logic is not true. Rather than admit error, they say it is a mystery.

Is there only one God? Yes. There is only one God. "I am the first and the last, there is no God but Me" (Isa. 44:6). There can only be one God because only one can be supreme, all powerful and independent of all.

Who does the New Testament say that is? God the Father!

How many Persons are in God? In God there are three Divine Persons—the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit. In speaking of Persons in God, we do not use the term in exactly the same way we use it when speaking of people.

How can you get three people if you don't use it in terms of individual beings? You see how the logic falls apart?
We use it only for lack of a word to show our better meaning. In speaking of a man as a person, we mean that he is an intelligent being acting individually for himself. The acts he performs belongs to him and he is responsible for them. He, himself, not his tongue or his mind or his whole body even, but the whole of himself.

This very argument disproves the three people in the trinity! We will see that the Holy Spirit is the power by which God does everything that He does.

• when He speaks, His word is not Him
• when He heals, His healing is not Him

This is the argument they are using in a convoluted way to try and tell us what the trinity is.

We speak of three persons in God because to each belongs something we cannot attribute to the other—His distinct origin. From all eternity…

this is a screwy statement:

…the Father begets the Son…

Nonsense! It never happened that way! That is total stupidity!

…and the Son proceeds from the Father.

No! He only proceeded from the Father when He came to the earth.

From all eternity, the Father and Son breathe forth the Holy Spirit…

notice the logic

…and He proceeds from Them as from one source. Therefore, this breathed Holy Spirit is a person.

How do you know that cannot be true? Next time when you are all alone, you're really lonely and you want someone to talk to, take a great big deep breath, breathe out, create a person and talk to it! The logic doesn't follow.

What do we mean by the blessed trinity? By the blessed trinity, we mean: One in the same God in three Divine Persons. The Father is God, the first Person of the blessed trinity—omnipotent, omniscient and especially the work of creation attributed to God the Father.

No! It's attributed to Jesus Christ. God the Father created all things through Jesus Christ! What does it say? We all know! What are the basic Scriptures we go back to? We all know! 'In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God. The Word was God. There wasn't anything made that He didn't make it'.

God the Father could have created millions of beings instead of you, yourself, but He chose you out of love—wholly undeserved; saying, 'With age old love, I have loved you' (Jer. 31:3).

That sounds like it's from the Douay version of the Bible!

Let us then, cry in thanksgiving 'Abba, Father.' Let us show our gratitude by avoiding all that could displease the Father by trying to please Him with virtue, by trying for greater perfection in obedience to that injunction of our Lord's, 'You, therefore, be perfect even as your heavenly Father is perfect.'

This has nothing to do whatsoever with the trinity. So, you see how a lot of this philosophy works: vain deceit, convoluted reasoning and inserted there.

The Son is God. The second Person of the blessed trinity. To God the Son we owe our redemption from sin and eternal death. By His death, He gave us life.

The Holy Spirit is God. The third Person of the blessed trinity. He manifests Himself in us, particularly in our sanctification. The word 'Ghost' applied to the third Person also means 'Spirit.'

Then what do they do? They go on and explain what the Holy Spirit does as the power of God, not as a Person of God!

Athanasian Creed: So, there is one Father, not three Fathers. One Son, not three Sons. One Holy Spirit, not three Holy Spirits…

What does that statement prove? Nothing, it's just reasoning in a circle!

…and in this trinity nothing is before or after, nothing is greater or less, but the whole three Persons are co-eternal together and co-equal so that in all things, as it is foresaid, the unity in trinity and the trinity in unity is to be worshipped.

That, brethren, is philosophical garbage! What happens when a student says, 'I'm having a hard time understanding this.' What's the answer? It's a mystery. You can't understand it! 'If it's essential for salvation, why can't I understand it?' 'Ah, that's not for you to know, sonny!'

Are three Divine Persons perfectly equal to One another? The three Divine Persons are perfectly equal to One another because They are all one in the same God.

That's quite a statement. This is why you are to be grounded in the Scriptures. This is why the Catholics can teach the doctrines that they do because they say, 'Truth is revealed in the Scriptures, in tradition and in the teaching of the fathers.' There can be no trinity without tradition, and without tradition there is no trinity—period!

John 14:28: "You have heard Me say to you that I am going away, and that I will come to you again. If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced that I said, 'I am going to the Father' because My Father is greater than I."

They are equal in existence, but They are not equal in authority. This statement that they are all equal is not so. Here's the creed again. This is another part of the Athanasian Creed.

As the Father is, such is the Son. Such is also the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, the Holy Spirit uncreated. The Father infinite, the Son infinite, the Holy Spirit infinite. The Father eternal, the Son eternal, the Holy Spirit eternal. Yet, they are not three eternals, but one eternal, as also, there are not three uncreated nor three infinite but one uncreated, one infinite.

See what philosophy does? It's incorrect thinking! Why? Because it's based on deceit! It is based on a lie! It is the wisdom of this world and the trinity comes from that!

Each of the Divine Persons is God. So, the Father is God. The Son is God. The Holy Spirit is God and yet there are not three Gods but one God. For, like as we are compelled by Christian truth to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic religion to say that there are three Gods or three Lords.

I'd like to see that whole creed, altogether in one place. That is a 'mind splitter' to read.

There are three Persons, but only one Being. The Father is neither the Son nor the Holy Spirit. The Son is neither the Father nor the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son.

It's like saying everything like I said at first. You thought it was a stupid statement when I made it: Ed is made of dust. The chair is made of dust, therefore, the chair is the same as Ed. They're equal. Nonsense! See the same reasoning here?

It was the Son Who became man and died for us, not the Father nor the Holy Spirit and when we receive God the Son in Holy Communion, we also receive God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. The blessed trinity then, dwells in us as in a temple. How can we understand how three Divine Persons—though really distinct from One Another—are one in the same God? Answer: We cannot fully understand how the three Divine Persons, though really distinct from One Another are One in the same God because this is a supernatural mystery.

No, it's not! It is stupid logic explained as a supernatural mystery because it is not so! The first step that WCG took to say that the Holy Spirit is Divine is the same stupid argument that was used 'way back when' to start bringing in the doctrine of the trinity. That is something!

A supernatural mystery is a truth which we cannot fully understand but which we firmly believe because we have God's Word for it. A supernatural mystery is above reason, but not contrary to it.
that is a terrible statement
No man can explain a mystery; neither can any man know it unless it is revealed by God.
first good statement they've had
To understand a mystery, a finite mind would have to comprehend the infinite. It is not unreasonable to believe in a supernatural mystery. There are many natural mystery around us, etc.

Oh, yes, in the Catholic Church, by the way, agreed to recognize that Galileo was correct. That's been a mystery to them all along. Ah ha! The fourth person in the trinity, no less!

• Did you know that Galileo is the fourth person in the trinity?
• How can that be?
• How can you have four in three?
• Well, how can you have three in one and one in three?

I just wanted to have that in there as an example of all of the philosophy of 'vain deceit' that Paul warned against. This is how all sin is eventually justified. Let's just use the example of sex:

• Did God create sex, male and female? Yes!
• Did God create sex for love? Yes!
• Did God create sex to be that special feeling and exhilaration for each person to share and enjoy? Yes!

Therefore, since it is a joy, 'the use of sex is to uplift oneself.' Notice the change in logic. 'Therefore, since sex in itself is not evil, then any act of sex in itself is not evil. Therefore, any expression of a sexual act is not evil.'

I just described to you the Epicurean's definition of sex, or the liberal definition of sex. That's how they reason it! You have to go back and have the Biblical principle. God made us male and female. What was the first instruction that He gave? That a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife and they two shall be one flesh! Therefore, the Bible teaches that not all sex is good, because there is an expression to the human mind and body through the use of sex; there have to be the laws that regulate it.

Let's see about the Holy Spirit. Let's look at some things in the Old Testament. While we're turning there, let's talk about the nature of the Being of God, not His emotions, not His feelings, but the nature of the Being of God: God is Spirit! Whatever God does, He does it by His Spirit, which comes from Him! Whatever God says, because God is Truth, is done. How did God create the world?

Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God…" You have to begin with God. How does God do things? We'll see, by His Spirit.

Verse 1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God…" (vs 1-2). It shows how God did it.

God's Spirit to create and to make by commanding or thinking, or as a power (Psa. 103) we do not possess. If the Holy Spirit were a person, then the Holy Spirit is greater than God Who is Creator. You see the philosophical problem they get into? They try to make it a person rather than the power of God. We're going to see through the whole Old Testament that never was there any question that the Holy Spirit was anything other than the power of God sent forth from Him, in a way we can say, would be close to electronics. That would be the best of our understanding. Here we find:

"…moved upon the face of the waters" (v 2). It could be translated, 'hovered' or 'fluttered.' Why? Because the Holy Spirit was going to act upon and carry out what God commanded! The One doing the commanding is of greater power.

Verse 3: "And God said, 'Let there be light.' And there was light." When God commands, it is done! That's why we need to think deeply about the creation of human beings, because it wasn't spoken, it was 'handmade by the very hand of God. All the way through it's: 'God said, God said, God made, God called, God said.' All the way through Gen. 1 and it was all done by the power of God's Spirit.

Psalm 104:1: "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great; You are clothed with honor and majesty, covering Yourself with light as with a garment, and stretching out the heavens like a curtain" (vs 1-2). It then shows everything that God did in the creation, another way of explaining that.

Verse 30 tells us how He did this: "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; and You renew the face of the earth."

Psalm 33:4: "For the Word of the LORD is upright; and all His works are done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the loving kindness of the LORD. By the Word of the LORD were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth" (vs 4-6).

That is something that God alone has that power to do that He can command and they are created. If you want to know what truly is a mystery to us as human beings, that is! That is truly a mystery. Then it shows everything that God has done. That's the key verse that I wanted there.

Let's look about the first coming of the Lord, also the second coming, the expression of God's Spirit. This is certainly true of His first coming as well.

Isaiah 11:2: "And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him…" If the Spirit were a person, it would have to be sitting on him.

"…the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD" (v 2). This is the power or the uses of the power of the Spirit of God and how it does it.

Isaiah 40:7: "The grass withers, the flower fades because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass." So, the Spirit of God blows; it proceeds out of His mouth. It is something that God uses by command.

Let's see what it does to some of the prophets. There's not a person involved here at all. We'll show you exactly the way that the Holy Spirit is likened to right here:

Isaiah 61:1: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me because the LORD has anointed Me…" When you anoint, you pour something out. That's what is described of the Holy Spirit. Every action of the Holy Spirit is something that God causes to be done from Himself:

• by command
• by anointing
• by speaking
• by breathing

It is a power that God has and uses!

Tell me how this can be if the Spirit is a person; Micah 3:8: "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the LORD…" It can't be a person. It has to be the power of God. If the Holy Spirit is a person, how did it get inside Micah?

• if God is a Spirit Being, which He is
• if the Holy Spirit were a person, which it is not

but just assume for the sake of argument that it is

• if Micah is full of power by the Spirit of the LORD
  • What happened to Micah?
• Did he cease to exist as a person because the Holy Spirit took him over as a person?

Now, I'm getting into reasoning like they are. No! It didn't happen! It shows clearly here, that the Spirit of the Lord is something that gives Micah power. Why would he need power? Because he had to do something beyond what the normal human being could do!

"…and of judgment, and of might, to declare to Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (v 9). You have to have some power of conviction to do that, because they don't like to hear it.

Let's see what the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of the Lord, can do for a person. It gives an ability to the person beyond their normal capacities and it is the power of God!

Exodus 31:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Behold, I, I have called by name Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God…" (vs 1-3). It's something that is poured to be filled with, to be put into; very similar to Isa. 11.

"…in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all workmanship, to devise designs; to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all workmanship. And behold, I have given to him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach of the tribe of Dan. And I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the wise-hearted… [How? By the Spirit of God! By the power of the Spirit of God!] …so that they may make all that I have commanded you" (vs 3-6).

Everywhere you go in the Old Testament, you can do more of a study in it with your concordance. Go ahead and look up the Spirit of the Lord, and so forth.

It all has to do with God giving an extra bit of His power to the individual! It is not a person! There is no such thing as a third person in a trinity!

All Scripture from The Holy Bible In Its Original Order, A Faithful Version

Scriptural References:

• Colossians 2:1-2
• 1-Timothy 3:16
• Colossians 2:2-8, 3
• Acts 17:16-30
• Ezekiel 28:12, 17
• 1-Corinthians 1:17-21
• Romans 1:18-23
• Psalm 139:1-11
• John 14:28
• Genesis 1:1-3
• Psalm 104:1-2, 30
• Psalm 33:4-6
• Isaiah 11:2
• Isaiah 40:7
• Isaiah 61:1
• Micah 3:8-9
• Exodus 31:1-6

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Revelation 17
• James 1:15-18
• Hebrews 11
• Psalm 103

Also referenced:
Books:

• Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature; Article: Trinity, by John McClintock and James Strong
• My Catholic Faith by Louis Morrow
• Webster's Dictionary by Noah Webster
• The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop

Booklet: The Holy Spirit by Fred R. Coulter

FRC: nfs
Transcribed: 07-16-17
Proofed: bo—8/22/17