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NASB | James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | James 2:19 You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror--they have seen His wrath]! [Deut 6:4; 11:13-21; Mark 12:29] |
Subject: Is God ONE or is God THREE? |
Bible Note: Greetings, Lionstrong. In Gen. 1:2 the term "Spirit of God" is used. Now we understand from John 4:24 that God is a spirit, or a spiritual being. I was using the term "spirit of God" in the strict sense of the spirit that is the essence of God. I contend that there is only one "person" in the Deity. The Son is the body of God--the expression of the nature of God in human terms for the purpose of redemption and reconciliation. (See Heb. 1:1-3 and Col. 1:15-20.) Although God the "eternal Spirit" manifested Himself in terms of humanity for the redemption of humanity (John 3:16), I do not believe that the concepts of mere human existence adequately describe His divine interposition into the affairs of humanity. The word "son" to us mortals generally means offspring or natural descendant by virtue of procreation. We do have the figurative use of the word "son", however, employed in our language to mean "the embodiment or personification of". One example from scripture is the nickname given to James and John--they were called "the sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17). The implication is that these brothers were pretty noisy--not that they were conceived in their mother's womb by the mysterious force of thunder. The confusion in this subject comes from the fact that the terms "Father" and "Son" in terms of humanity have a distinct meaning that involves two separate persons. This is the literal "human" meaning of these terms. To us, that is the "natural" meaning of these terms. But we are humans, and God is spirit. So when He uses these terms and applies them to Himself, the meaning of them would be "spiritual" to us. That is, "Father" means source or creator; "Son" means physical, fleshly embodiment of the Father. That is why Jesus could truthfully say "I and Father are one" (John 10:30). And that's how the Son could be called "the Eternal Father" in Isaiah 9:6. Kind regards, Tim D. Cormier Tennessee Preacher |