Really?
My advice is to study the morphologies and Syntax and not only word studies per se-I have asked unanswered questions.
OT Proof That Echad Does Not Point to God Being Uni-Personal
The following verse functions as the creed, or confession of faith, which the Israelites were to live by:
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one (echad) Lord:” Deuteronomy 6:4
Oftentimes, anti-Trinitarians will cite this text as proof that God is a singular Person, not just a singular Being, in order to show that Trinitarianism is incompatible with the biblical revelation, particularly with the [O]ld [T]estament’s proclamation of Jehovah being one eternal divine Person.
In this post I am going to provide evidence to the contrary, citing examples to prove that, instead of refuting the fact of God’s eternally existing as a multi-Personal Being, echad actually supports this divinely revealed truth.
Notice carefully what the following passages teach:
“Did not HE that made me in the womb make him? and did not ONE (echad) fashion us in the womb?” Job 31:15
“Thus saith the Lord, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens ALONE; that spreadeth abroad the earth BY MYSELF;” Isaiah 44:24
These inspired texts affirm that the same one God made and fashioned the entire creation all by himself. The passage from Job even uses the very term echad to emphasize this fact.
Herein lies the problem for the unitarian. These same sacred writings emphatically testify that the one eternal Creator and Sustainer of all things is multi-Personal. Note, for instance, the following texts:
“But none saith, Where is God my maker (Eloah ‘Osay), who giveth songs in the night;” Job 35:10
‘Osay is the masculine singular plural participle form of asah, and literally means “my Makers.”
“Remember now thy Creator (Bor’eka) in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;” Ecclesiastes 12:1
Bor’eka is the masculine singular plural participle form of barah, and literally says “thy Creators.”
“For thy Maker (‘Osayik) is thine husband (Bo’alayik); the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.” Isaiah 54:5
‘Osayik is the plural participle form of asah, and Bo’alayik is the plural participle form of baal. The text literally reads, “For thy Makers are thine Husbands.”
We, thus, have the Hebrew Bible explicitly bearing witness to the fact that the Creator and Sustainer of all things is a multi-Personal Being, a point affirmed in the next set of passages:
“By HIS SPIRIT (Rucho) he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.” Job 26:13
“The Spirit (Ruach) of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.” Job 33:4 Job 33:4
Here we have God’s Spirit fashioning the heavens and making mankind. And:
“And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I WILL MULTIPLY THY SEED EXCEEDINGLY, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.” Genesis 16:7-14
The following verse functions as the creed, or confession of faith, which the Israelites were to live by: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one (echad) Lord:” Deuteronomy 6:4 Oftentimes, anti-Tr…
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Now this is what I would call 'willful error"
Praising the LORD God as the Possessor and Head of all creation
Further notice the prayer that David offered to God:
“Wherefore David BLESSED the Lord before all the congregation: and David said, BLESSED be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, FOR EVER AND EVER. Thine, O Lord, is the GREATNESS and the POWER, and the GLORY, and the VICTORY, and the MAJESTY: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding. O Lord our God, all this store that we have prepared to build thee an house for thine holy name cometh of thine hand, AND IS ALL THINE OWN.” 1 Chronicles 29:10-16
Note the way that David puts himself down as someone who is insignificant in comparison to the greatness and majesty of God. He is humble enough to realize that he and the people of Israel together are nothing without God and that he is as much without hope as they are apart from God. This is why David refuses to take credit for anything that he is about to do in helping Solomon build the temple for the glory of the LORD God Almighty.
With that said, we shall now document how the inspired NT writers take everything that David says about God and applies it to the risen Christ!
For instance, the inspired Christian Scriptures proclaim that it is Christ who receives eternal praise and glory for being the Lord and Judge of all creation, who possesses an indestructible kingdom:
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at HIS appearing and HIS kingdom… henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love HIS appearing… And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto HIS heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” 2 Timothy 4:1, 8, 18
“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18
“and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6
Christ is also praised for being the only blessed Ruler who reigns as the King of all kings and Lord of lords, and for being the only One that possesses immortality:
“I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: which in HIS times HE shall shew, WHO is the blessed and ONLY Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; WHO ONLY only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; WHOM no man hath seen, nor can see: to WHOM be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:13-16
Shockingly, even the JW’s own Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society admits that Paul is ascribing all these descriptions to Christ,
Jehovah is the “happy God” and his Son Jesus Christ is called “the happy and only Potentate” (1 Tim. 1:11; 6:15)… (Aid to Bible Understanding [Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., 1971], p. 711; bold emphasis ours)
Even though they try to explain the blessed Apostle’s exalted language in a manner that is consistent with their heretical views:
How can Jesus be “the one alone having immortality”?
The first one described as being rewarded with immortality is Jesus Christ. That he did not possess immortality before his resurrection by God [sic] is seen from the inspired apostle’s words at Romans 6:9: “Christ, now that he has been raised from the dead, dies no more; death is master over him no more.” (Compare Re 1:17, 18). For this reason, when describing him as “the King of those who rule as kings and Lord of those who rule as lords,” 1 Timothy 6:15, 16 shows that Jesus is distinct from all other kings and lords in that he is “the one alone having immortality.” The other kings and lords, because of being mortal, die, even as did also the high priests of Israel. The glorified Jesus, God’s appointed High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, however, has “an indestructible life.” – Heb 7:15-17, 23-25. (Insight on the Scriptures [Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of New York, Inc., Brooklyn, NY 1988], Volume 1. Aaron-Jehoshua, p. 1189 – see also p. 1032)(1)
We are even told that Christ is the One who answers prayers and saves his people from all their sins and calamities:
“And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought THE LORD thrice, that it might depart from me. And HE SAID unto me, MY GRACE is sufficient for thee: for MY STRENGTH is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that THE POWER OF CHRIST may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, BE HONOUR AND GLORY FOR EVER AND EVER. AMEN.” 1 Timothy 1:12-17
That’s not all we find. The Scriptures teach that Christ possesses absolute sovereign authority over all things, since he is the Head of the entire creation:
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18
“All things that the Father hath ARE MINE: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.” John 16:15
“And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” John 17:10
“and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, FAR ABOVE ALL principality, and power, and might, and dominion, AND EVERY NAME THAT IS NAMED, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be THE HEAD OVER ALL THINGS to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.” Ephesians 1:19-23
