Note: My Scripture references will be from RLDS versions. I apologize for any confusion that may cause. I know this is long, but I hoped it might be of interest to some here. God bless! - Doug Hatten
The Trinity or Godhead is something people in both the Restoration Movement and Christianity in general have long debated over. I am one of those who have argued about it in the past. Most vigorously, I expended great energy debating it when I had become convinced of (what some have termed) the “one-God theory” in which Jesus is upheld as not only the Son of God, but fully the Father as well. They believe that the Father and the Son really are one and the same, and for them the notion of three distinct or a “Trinity” is associated with the belief in multiple gods. Others continue to believe in three completely separate personages, one in purpose, more than in being. I’m not about to make an argument for either one of these views to the exclusion of the other.
Without any desire to offend anyone, I must plainly confess that I have now come to realize that many of these debates are simply foolishness in the eyes of God. The truth in most arguments is usually found somewhere in-between the two extremes. The Godhead, like many other subjects men argue about, is a mystery. That means that it takes a revelation of God to understand it. Speculation and uninspired intellectual theorizing only further blinds us to the truth. A mystery can only be unlocked when the seeker truly learns to set aside their preconceptions, and with the help of the Spirit of God, divorce themselves from their own prejudices in the matter. This is much harder to do than most realize. Many, who think they are impartial, are really far from it. This, again, I know from personal experience. I used to think of myself impartial, but I was only fooling myself. We also need God’s help in learning true humility, the kind of humility that allows us to see and receive the truth, even if it is in opposition to our own opinion. We also need to discover what the Scriptures say on the subject. Not just the ones that appear to favor or boost support for our own viewpoint, but ALL the Scriptures, even the ones that may appear to contradict our own viewpoint. The SUM of the Word of God is the truth!
As I say, I was once very zealous for one of these views, but after going through a series of experiences (unrelated to this subject matter), which greatly humbled me, I softened my stand on this and many other controversial doctrines, finally coming to the recognition (with the help of God) that I knew a lot less than I thought I did. I went from being someone with all the answers, to someone who kept silence and learned to listen. In regards to the subject of the Godhead, I began to see that there may be merits found in both points of view, and after much prayer and meditation on the subject, I came to understand that the mind of fallen man simply cannot truly comprehend the Godhead. The Temporal cannot fully comprehend eternal things. The Spirit of God must quicken our minds before it can be revealed. Even then, we typically only in see in part. Once we understand that we don’t truly comprehend the matter, arguing about it seems dumb. When the subject came up recently in our local branch, being confronted during a class I was teaching, I was of the mind that neither side was right, and I felt it was foolishness to contend over the matter.
I was teaching on the ‘work of the Father’ spoken of in the Book of Mormon, which is the ‘The Gathering’ or the ‘Restoration of the House of Israel.’ In the Book of Mormon, Jesus says that this work will be done by the Father, Himself. This would seem to differentiate this work as being different than the work of the Son. I had just read the Scripture to that effect, when a man raised his hand. After I recognized him, he read from Mosiah chapter 8 in the Book of Mormon. I was very familiar with that passage as I used to quote from it extensively back in the day when I too felt compelled to convince others that Jesus and the Father were one and the same. However, I wasn’t yet sure why he was reading this, or what it had to do with our topic. It was not my intent to make a statement about the Godhead, but this man evidently took issue with speaking of the “work of the Father” in a way that might differentiate between it and the work of the Son.
He read the verses and then said nothing further. When I asked him what point he wished to make, he remained enigmatic and would not give me a straight answer at first. He gave me the ol’ ‘the Scripture speaks for itself’ answer. I got the distinct impression the passages was supposed to refute something I was teaching, but wanted to be sure so we could discuss it. So, I pressed him further. Surely he had a point to make since he had gone to the bother of interrupting and reading this passage to the entire class. Finally he said a few more things in answer, which let me know in no uncertain terms that since Jesus and the Father were the same, then so was their work.
The notion that the work of the Father was simply the same thing as the work of the Son was contrary to the understanding and teaching I had only recently received of the Holy Spirit when I was led to study the ‘work of the Father’ in the Book of Mormon. Certainly they are one in the over-all goal, but I was also shown that they each have specific roles that are unique. Whether or not they are simply different aspects of the same God, the Father and Son each have their own specific roles to play in things. Likewise, the Holy Spirit has a specific role to perform, which is unique to it.
Having figured out that he was trying to turn this into a debate on the Godhead, I took a moment, and prayerfully thought about how to respond. I then posed a question to the entire class. “Was it the work of the Holy Spirit to be crucified?” The answer, of course, was no. It was the job of the Son, only, to be crucified. Jesus is the Word made flesh, and the sacrificial lamb. He was made a man of flesh, and He intercedes for us as a High Priest, reconciling us to the Father. The Holy Ghost is our guide and comforter, leading us to all truth. The Holy Spirit was sent by the Son to replace him as our daily guide after He ascended to the Father. In explaining this, I got no where with the man. He did not know me, and did not know I was previously of the same sure opinion as he, and was only neutral in the matter now. He was sure I was out to teach the view of God as three separate persons.
This same man preached a Sermon in our branch several weeks later using the same verses in Mosiah. He emphatically stated several times toward at end of his sermon that “Jesus is God!” There was nothing he said to which I would technically disagree with, but I had been praying about the matter since the day he’d brought it up in my class and I had begun to discern that there was a problem here. It wasn’t his statement that Jesus was God that was the problem. But it was the spirit behind what he was saying (or the motive for saying it) that now had me concerned. I realized that he had fallen into error simply because he had bought into an extreme view, which was only a partial truth, and not the fullness, and he was lifting it up to the exclusion of any other perspectives. Just as I had done in the past, he was greatly over simplifying an Eternal concept that he did not really understand.
I had previously learned from my own personal mistakes that the first clue that you are in error and don’t really understand something is when, in order to promote your belief, you over-emphasize the Scriptures that would ‘seem’ to support your viewpoint, but completely ignore any Scripture that does not lend its support, or might even contradict it. What this man was doing was the work of the adversary, for I knew that there need not be any dispute or division on this matter. Satan was trying to make an argument where there should be none. I was beginning to understand that although I did not understand how, God was both three, and also one, all at once, and that there was no contradiction in this.
Because of this, I did not become overly disturbed by one view or the other, except in the case where people felt compelled to press their view on others, without the humility to recognize their likely ignorance, and admit they did not fully comprehend God and that they were merely pressing their own theory. I understood this sin. It is a weakness I am personally familiar with within myself. Realizing, and clearly seeing the weakness first in myself, and having been diligent in continually watching for it in my own thinking, and repenting of it whenever I can, I am able to recognize it in others, as well.
After the sermon, I approached this man in hopes of bridging this gap, as he and his family had stopped attending my class, and begun his own class because of theological differences. I tried to reach out to him by saying that I just wanted to let him know that I personally believed that most of us in the branch likewise believed that Jesus was God, just not all of God. I thought He might be able to see this possibility. But he seemed very nervous when I approached him and began speaking to him. His reaction revealed a deeper problem, only serving to broaden my concern. Perhaps I was naïve to think that we might be able to reason it out and find common ground, but there was a spirit of contention that entered into him almost immediately, which labored to prevent us from reasoning together. He seemed to be expecting a fight, though contending with him was the furthest thing from my mind. In response, he again spoke enigmatically rather than plainly. I had trouble deciphering some of his answers. When I asked him for clarification on something he said, he said: “Ask God.” I told him that although I ask God many things, if he and I were brothers in Christ, we should be able to ask one another to clarify a statement so we can understand one another. When I mentioned a verse found in Genesis of the Inspired Version of the Bible, he proceeded to attack the Inspired Version.
I walked away from that conversation more than a little disturbed. I went to the Lord in order to seek greater understanding and light regarding the topic of the Godhead so that I might know of a surety where the truth lay. I was also aware that such problems, left unattended and not prayed and fasted over, could be the cause of great division in a branch. As a result, the Spirit of God opened up the Scriptures to both me and a close friend as we began to study this matter together. One of the first verses that we received of the Holy Spirit was Genesis 1:27.
“And I, God, said unto mine Only Begotten, which was with me from the beginning, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and it was so.”
Aside from realizing that the Father is having a conversation with His Son here, which of course begs to ask the question: ‘If they are one and the same with no distinction between them at all, is the Father speaking to Himself then?’ But that was not the point that the Holy Spirit was bringing to my attention. There was a truth here, one that I had previously missed when reading this verse. Genesis is telling us that we are made in God’s image. How is that pertinent? Let me explain.
Although we cannot directly examine God with our physical senses, but we can do the same thing that scientists do when they examine a natural phenomenon which cannot be seen. Good examples of this might include ‘dark matter’ or ‘black holes’. Since scientists cannot observe these phenomenons directly, they must instead observe their effect. Like the wind, you cannot see it, but you can hear it, and observe the movement of leaves and branches in the tree. One of the most direct effects of God is His creation. Therefore, we can learn something of God from the Creation. Further, the Scriptures tell us that of all His creation, it was man that was made in God’s image. So, if we use the principle of ‘reverse engineering,’ we should be able to examine man in order to learn more about God.
Reverse Engineering is defined as: “The process of disassembling a hardware or software product from another company to find out how it works, with the intention of duplicating some or all of its functions in another product.” How we would apply reverse engineering in this case is to disassemble man (break him down into his individual components) in order to learn something of the make-up of God, since He has informed us, through His word, that we are made in His image.
The other scripture the Holy Spirit led us to in relation to the verse in Genesis, was RLDS Doctrine and Covenants Sec 85:4a “And the spirit and the body is the soul of man.” This revelation is backed by 2 Nephi 6:31, 32 which states that “…the paradise of God must deliver up the spirits of the righteous, And the grave deliver up the bodies of the righteous, And the spirit and the body is restored to itself again and all men become incorruptible and immortal; And they are living souls…” Genesis also says that when God breathed his spirit into the body, it became a living soul.
We had previously been shown, by the Spirit of Revelation, that man is a triune (3-fold) being. This pattern of three is seen throughout the Scriptures, and throughout all of creation to such an amazing extent that an entire book could be written just on that subject alone. (For example: There are three primary colors, red, green, and blue in the color wheel and three types of color receptors, called cones, in the human eye.) It has also been revealed to me and others that man began as a spirit with God in Heaven. Our spirit, out of the three parts of man, is really the most like God. It was once in the very presence of the Father. It came from Him, and it is what makes our flesh come alive, making it become a living soul. Without the spirit, the body dies. Our spirit longs to return to God, and is the nearest to God. It is the part of us that inherently knows right from wrong. After forming the spirit of man, God then formed the body of man out of the dust of the earth, then breathed this spirit into that form, and man became a living soul. [Genesis 2:8] When a man dies, the flesh which is made of dust will “return to the earth as it was; and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” [Ecclesiastes 12:7]
Where the mystery comes in is in truly understanding what the soul of man constitutes. I am convinced of the Holy Spirit that we have not yet understood the nature of the soul of man. What I have learned is that the soul is more than just the sum of the spirit and the flesh together. The soul of man is only made possible, or comes into being, when the spirit and flesh are joined together. Within this tabernacle of the body, the veil of flesh separates us from the very presence of God to the degree that we can make choices here on this earth without our freewill being infringed upon by His full presence. It allows us a place to develop according to our choosing, and our soul is the very thing we develop while on this earth, by making agency choices. Let me explain.
Our spirit came directly from God. It is pure and knows no sin. We didn’t even have a soul previous to being born on this earth. That’s why God says after he “formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life” that man “became a living soul.” [Genesis 2:8] The soul gets created only when our spirit enters into our body. But at this point, the soul is not yet fully developed. That is why very young children cannot sin, or be held accountable yet. Even trees and animals have souls. “And out of the ground, made I, the Lord God, to grow every tree naturally, that is pleasant to the sight of man, and man could behold it, and it became also a living soul; for it was spiritual in the day that I created it.” [Genesis 2:11] Trees and animals do not sin, because when they are created it “remaineth in the sphere in which I, God, created it; yea, even all things which I prepared for the use of man.” They do not grow beyond their initial creation. Only man continues to develop beyond how they were first made. As their soul develops over time, they are able to able to understand the nature of their choices.
As we continue to live out our lives, we actually develop our souls. The soul is not so much what we start out with. It is who and what we become through our experiences, knowledge and choices. Through our freewill choices we can express the gifts and callings of God in our own unique and individual ways. God gave us a spirit that is pure, and the expression of God within us, being a portion of God imparted to us. We can follow after the desire of the spirit, which is after the will of God, or we can follow after the desire of the flesh, which is fallen. When we die the spirit will return again to God, but the soul remains the essence of all that we became as the result of our freewill choices. It is our consciousness. It is who we are. And we develop it, for good or for evil. When we die, the soul lives on, even as the spirit does, and will be judged. All of this I have seen, only in part, and would not pretend to have a full understanding of, but I have tried to share what I understand of it as best I can.
To further illustrate the difference between the spirit and the soul, it is possible for the soul to depart the body, as when one is caught up into heaven, essentially leaving its body behind. We find examples of this in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon. When this happens, the body lives on because the spirit of life that was breathed into it is still there. If the spirit departs, the body dies, and the soul will go wherever it is bound according to its choices while in the flesh. I know much of this is new revelation for you, and I would that you pray about it, and either accept or reject it according to the testimony the Lord gives you. But, it is what I believe I have received, so far, and since receiving this understanding it has cleared up many things I previously could not understood.
Getting back to the Godhead, when God proposed to make man in His image, it wasn’t so much a matter of a physical image He had in mind, meaning: a creature which stood upright, having two arms, two legs, two eyes, two ears and a nose. Rather, I believe we are also made in the image of God because we are a triune being, even as God is a triune being. One God, made up of three components, each component having its own unique purpose.
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood; and these three agree in one.” [1 John 5:7-8]
Another thing that came to us as we studied this matter out and prayed for understanding, was a picture of three intersecting circles representing the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. My friend, Joel, first received this. And when he was presenting it in a class, the Holy Spirit began to enlarge my understanding on this subject. I will share a drawing of this with you, so that you may get a clearer picture of what was revealed to us about the Godhead.
Take note that there are areas in each of these circles, where they overlap with the other two circles. This is where there is an overlap in personality, purpose, thought, and action. This is where the triune components of God are inseparably one and the same. At the very core, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE GOD.
However, it should also be noted that there are areas in each of the circles that protrude out beyond the other two circles. It is in these areas where that particular manifestation of God can be uniquely identified all on its own, with its own unique purpose and role to play. Those portions of God, which protrude beyond the other two, is where God is able to manifest Himself and interact with man, showing forth that particular part of Himself, whether it be the Son walking in the flesh, preaching and healing, or the mighty rushing wind of the Holy Spirit and the cloven tongues appearing. We can identify and demonstrate the truth of this in looking at this diagram and examining all the Scriptures, and not just the ones that favor one theory or another in the Godhead controversy.
First let’s number the areas formed by the intersecting circles on this diagram:
Notice that when you bring these three circles together, you end up with seven distinct areas. Area 4 is the place where the Father and Son overlap. Area 5 is where the Father and the Holy Spirit overlap. Area 6 is where the Son and Holy Spirit overlap. And area 7 is where they all overlap each other. So, we have here THREE circles (representing the Trinity) forming SEVEN distinct areas. (Interestingly, as I previously informed you that there are 3 primary colors, upon which all the other colors can be made, so also, when light passes through a prism, it divides out into 7 colors.)
Both of these numbers, three and seven, carry significance in the Hebrew language, and are found in repeated patterns throughout the Scriptures.
Three represents the number of divine perfection. There are 3 in the Godhead, 3 Glories, 3 sections in the Tabernacle, God’s word is established in the mouth of 3 witnesses, and so on.
Seven represents the number of Spiritual Perfection. There are 7 days in a week, 7 colors in the spectrum, 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 parables in Matthew, and 7 promises to the churches in the Book of Revelation, etc.
When we look at area 4 on the diagram, (where the Father and the Son overlap), we can see the evidence of this truth in the Scriptures when Jesus says: “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” [John 14:10]
When we look at area 2 (where Jesus is His own separate identity) we can see this represented when Jesus prays to His Father in the garden for this cup to pass from him, if it were possible, and again when he cries out on the cross: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” [Matthew 27:50] Area 2 is that part of God that can extend itself out to us as fully man, and one who can fully understand our plight because He took upon Himself flesh and blood and walked among us and suffered the trials and temptations of this world. It is that part of God (the Son) that can be in the midst of sin, and make intercession with the Father (where sin cannot dwell) on our behalf.
Similarly, when you look at area 3, (the Holy Spirit) this is the part of God that can extend itself out to us from that Holy Place where the Father dwells, after Jesus ascended to the Father. It comforts us, guides us, and empowers us to walk in the gifts and calling of God.
We can see area 1 (the Father) represented when Jesus tells his disciples that no one knows the day and hour of His return, not even the angels of God in heaven, “but my Father only.” [Matthew 24:43] Here we see it is possible for the Father to know something, and keep it even from His own Son if necessary, until the appointed hour when the command shall be given for the Bridegroom to go forth.
Up to this point, we have seen how there are three separate and distinct parts of God, even though they are also connected at the core, even as a living man isn’t separated parts, but one being comprised of flesh, spirit, and soul. Yet, even as a man can be carried away in the spirit, his soul being ascending into heavenly realms as his body lay limp, so also the three parts of God can extend out beyond where the other two go, and manifest themselves to us separately.
Now, let us draw another circle around the borders of all three circles.
This outside circle represents how all three (the Father, Son and Holy Ghost) are one Eternal God. Again, He is a triune being, even as man is. We were made in His image. When you number the additional fields that are created by this outside circle, you now get 10 distinct areas.
Ten is the number representing divine perfection and The Law of God. There are 10 commandments (Ex. 20); A tenth of your income is a tithed; There were 10 plagues on Egypt (Ex. 9:14ff); 10 x 10 silver sockets formed the foundation of the Tabernacle (Ex 38:27); There are 10 "I AM's” spoken by Jesus in John, etc.
Through this diagram, the Spirit of Revelation helped me to fathom both the oneness and the triune nature of God. For me, it explains how Jesus is also the Father [Mosiah 8], for there is a portion of the Father and Son that overlap, and so through the Son, the Father got to experience the anguish of the cross, and know what it is like to have lived, suffer and die as a man - for the Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father. [John 14:10] It also explains the distinctions and individuality of the Three. For example, when Jesus says “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” [John 16:7]
I pray this article is a help to you as you contemplate this great mystery, and that it will be of assistance the next time the Adversary tries to suck you into an “either / or” argument over the Godhead. There is no need to contend over these matters. It is the good pleasure of our God to reveal to His servants the mysteries, if we will cease to strive and contend with one another, humble ourselves and recognize just how very little we really understand. I also look forward to hearing from others who study out this matter, and receive additional light and truth I have yet to comprehend.[/img]