I thought that, since Sunday is a great day to reflect on the Lord, perhaps I'd do a series on the names of God ... you know, spread out over a whole bunch of Sundays. (I almost said "a month of Sundays", but I'm not really sure what that means.) The first needs to be this name -- El -- because so many others are built on it.
One of the most common names for God in the Old Testament is this Hebrew word, El. To be most precise, it isn't a name so much as a title. It is linguistically tied to "Allah" (although that is about the end of any connection between the Judeo-Christian God and the God of Islam). This version -- singular -- is used some 250 times in the Old Testament. The plural version, Elohim, is used some 2570 times. Some versions of El may reference pagan gods or even human powers (see Psa 82:6). It references powers which could include magistrates, angels, or judges.
Interestingly, when speaking of the one, true God, Elohim (the plural) is often used with singular verbs. This is the earliest suggestion of the Trinity, a plurality of one, a single entity of three. It is this reference that has Genesis 1:26 quoting God (one) saying, "Let us make man in our image ...". It is the reason that the Bible may refer to God as Creator, Christ as Creator, or the Holy Spirit as Creator -- the plural entity of God, which is one.
The basic meaning behind the word is "strength". It references "the strong one". This is the basic idea whether referencing humans or judges or angels -- strength. And this is the first thought in the names of God that include El in their wording. It is a title that speaks first and foremost of His strength, His power. The very first name applied to God -- the title by which He is first known -- is The Strong One. It's a very good start.
7 comments:
Does ELOHIM in the phrase "spirit of God" (Genesis 1:3) refer to one person, or three persons? How do you view use of ELOHIM in Psalm 45:6,7? Do view ELOHIM in Psalm 45:6 to be referring to three persons? Do you view ELOHIM in Psalm 45:7 to be referring to three persons? Psalm 45:7 is shown to be referring to the God of the Son. (Hebrews 1:1,2,7-9) The NT identifies the God of Jesus to be his Father. (Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3) Do you believe that the God and Father of Jesus is more than one person?
Elohim – Does This Word Indicate a Plurality of Persons in a Godhead?
Actually, what I said was not that "Elohim refers to the Trinity", but that "This is the earliest suggestion of the Trinity." I also said that Elohim is used in a variety of senses in the Old Testament.
As for the Trinity, this wasn't intended to be a defense of the doctrine. I have elsewhere explained why the Trinity is a fundamental element of Christianity, typical heresies about Christ, and the huge amount of biblical support for the Doctrine of the Trinity. If that's your complaint, perhaps you ought to take it up there.
And since I notice that you're a defender of Jehovah's Witnesses, perhaps you'd appreciate this John 1 problem ... or not.
Actually I am not with the Jehovah's Witnesses, nor do I support that organization. However, I do not believe in the trinity. I have looked at the pages you given, and while there are a lot scriptures that one use human imagination so as read "trinity" into those scriptures, in reality, not one of those scriptures, nor all the scriptures combined, offer any proof of trinity.
Human imagination? Like where all those verses in the New Testament link Jesus to the very same names and characteristics of YHWH? You mean like where the Old Testament refers to God as Creator and John 1 refers to Christ as Creator? (I mean, in what possible sense can a created being be said to have created all that has been created?) That's "human imagination"?
Well, since Scripture and reason are "human imagination", I suppose we're done here. Thanks for your participation.
I know of no scripture that says that Jesus has glory that only belongs to the Most High. Jesus is never once in the Bible preseented as being Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. There is not one scripture that says that Jesus is the Creator. John 1:3 says that the all being spoken of was created through Jesus. The scriptures are not human imagination, but the scriptures are perfectly at harmony without adding what has to be imagined so as to think that the scriptures say anything about a triune God.
Jesus and His God
Ronald: "I know of no scripture that says ..."
Be honest, Ronald. You know of the Scriptures that say it. You simply don't admit that this is what they say. John 1:3 does indeed say that Jesus made all that was made ("Creator"), but you have assumed that this the Trinity cannot be true, so you assume that it cannot be understood to mean what it clearly says.
Further, the Bible explicitly instructs us not to worship any being but God. When some mistakenly attempt to worship men or even angels, they are corrected. When men worship Christ, on the other hand, they are commended. That speaks of a glory shared.
One more use of the insulting "human imagination" concept of yours and I'll have to ask you not to post any more comments, as it is perceived (and apparently intended) to be insulting. Neither I nor the Church has arrived at this doctrine by means of imagination; it is by means of Scripture. Indeed, the doctrine of the Trinity is outside of human imagination.
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