1604. One God Manifested in Three Persons

One God Manifested in Three Persons

This message considers just the opposite view from the preceding one. We studied before the fact of the ONE GOD. We study today the fact of three persons manifesting that one God.

The Scriptures state plainly that "the Lord our God is one Lord." We must, however, remember that the word used for God in this quotation is the plural word, "Elohim." Again we should observe that the word "one" is a Hebrew word that does not necessarily mean one in number, but it may mean one in purpose. We give the use of the same Hebrew word "one" in other Scriptures.

"And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the heart of ONE man" (2Sa_19:14).

"The people gathered themselves together as ONE man to Jerusalem" (Ezr_3:1).

"And all the people gathered themselves together as ONE man" (Neh_8:1).

In the Scriptures above the idea is of a plurality united in ONE purpose and ONE design.

The Lord our Triune God is ONE Lord–ONE in Deity, ONE in all the perfections and characteristics of the Godhead–truly ONE, and yet just as truly three.

In Genesis 2, Gen_2:24, we read: "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be ONE flesh." This is once more our familiar Hebrew word, "echad," "one." The husband and wife are not numerically ONE; they are still distinctively two, but they are ONE in the fact that they are united into ONE bond, one love, one aim, etc.

We are not endeavoring to explain all the mysteries of the Godhead, there is a depth in the oneness of the Trinity far beyond the reach of human mind; what we are endeavoring is to let the Scriptures speak concerning the Triune God, lest we place upon that expression a meaning not authorized by the Word of God.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR