Good News

Trinity Doctrine and Vocabulary

Introduction

When I tell Gentile pastors about the name Yeshua, they almost always respond by saying something like, "Well, that accurate vocabulary is nice, but I can't switch without confusing my flock and the people to which my congregation is supposed to reach out."

Similarly, I often discuss the Trinity doctrine with Gentile pastors, and I point out that they use the word "God" for what scripture calls "divine", and they use the word "Father" for what scripture refers to as "God". The pastors again agree that accurate vocabulary is nice, but would not work for them in practice.

Neverethess, for many people raised Jewish an accurate use of vocabulary is quite important when discussing the Trinity doctrine. People raised Jewish often have trouble inaccurately substituting "God" for "divine".

Without further preface, please consider the table below, in which various scriptural truths are cited using both a scripturally appropriate vocabulary and a traditional vocabulary.

Vocabulary Comparison

Scripturally appropriate vocabulary	Traditional vocabulary (replaces "divine" with "God", and "God" with "the Father")	Example verses
Yeshua is divine.	Yeshua is God.	Jeremiah 23:5-6, John 8:23-24, Philippians 2:5-7, First Timothy 3:16
Yeshua came from God.	Yeshua came from the Father.	John 8:42, John 13:3
Yeshua has a God.	Yeshua has a Father.	John 20:17, Ephesians 1:17, First Peter 1:3, Second Corinthians 11:31,
Yeshua is the Son of God. Accepting Yeshua is the right way to accept the Father and receive good things.	Yeshua is the Son of the Father. Accepting Yeshua is the right way to accept the Father and receive good things.	Proverbs 30:4, John 3:16, First John 2:22-23, First John 4:9-10, First John 4:15, First John 5:5, Hebrews 1:4-5
Sometimes the Holy Spirit is spoken of as Yeshua's. Sometimes it is spoken of as God's.¹	Sometimes the Holy Spirit is spoken of as Yeshua's. Sometimes it is spoken of as the Father's.¹	Yeshua's: John 20:22, Philippians 1:19 God's: Luke 1:35, Acts 5:32, First Thessalonians 4:8 Both: Romans 8:9, Revelation 5:6
The word "God" refers only to the Father.	The word "Father" refers only to the Father.	First Corinthians 8:6, First Corinthians 15:24-28, Second Corinthians 1:3, Ephesians 4:6, Second Thessalonians 2:16
Yeshua (although divine) is not God.	Yeshua (although God) is not the Father.	John 17:3, First Corinthians 11:3, First Timothy 2:5, Revevlation 21:22

¹ Note: This happens because God's Spirit is within Yeshua, even when he is within us. See John 14:20-23, John 15:26, John 16:15, and John 17:21-23.

More About Yeshua's Divinity

Note that

God is called almighty but Yeshua is only called mighty
The phrases God the Father or God our Father are common; the phrase God the Son is absent from scripture
The word Elohim does not indicate a plurality. See Exodus 7:1, Judges 16:23-24, and First Kings 18:27 in the Hebrew.
In Isaiah 9:5(6) the phrase Mighty God can equally well be translated Mighty is God
Yeshua never scolds or corrects people who worship him (showing he is divine, not angelic or merely human).

Yet Yeshua's divinity is strongly portrayed in scripture by the many times a title or role clearly given to "Adonai" is given to Yeshua. (Often these titles or roles are also given to the "hand" or "arm" of Adonai, which is Isaiah's favorite metaphor for God manifesting himself.)

Title of Role Applied to Adonai Applied to Adonai's Hand or Arm Applied to Yeshua

Creator Genesis 1:1, Isaiah 44:24 Isaiah 48:12-13 Colossians 1:16-17, Hebrews 1:10-12

Savior Isaiah 43:3 Isaiah 59:1 Luke 2:10-11

Shepherd Psalm 100:3 Isaiah 40:11 Hebrews 13:20

Redeemer Isaiah 44:6 Isaiah 50:2 Titus 2:14

King of Israel Isaiah 43:15 Isaiah 40:10 Luke 19:37-38

the First and the Last Isaiah 44:6 Isaiah 48:12-13 Revelation 1:17-18

Judge Isaiah 33:22 Isaiah 51:5 Second Timothy 4:1

Stone of stumbling Isaiah 8:13-14 First Peter 2:8

the one bowed before Isaiah 45:23 Philippians 2:10-11

the Name that saves Joel 2:32 Acts 4:10-12

Not Static

The traditional Trinity doctrine teaches that Yeshua's relationship with the Father is and was static. But scripture teaches that Yeshua's relationship to God changed at least twice.

At some point before his death and resurrection, Yeshua was given authority (Matthew 28:18), life (John 5:26), dominion (First Corinthians 15:27-28), and the fullness of God (Colossians 1:19 and 2:9).

And after his death and resurrection, but not before, it is appropriate to call Yeshua "Adonai" (Lord) (Philippians 2:9-11).

Cautious Conclusion

Finally, we must realize that the authors of the New Testament knew more than we do about Trinity doctrine.

For example, why does Matthew 28:19 mention the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, whereas only the Father and the Son are mentioned in Second John 1:3, First Timothy 5:21, Titus 1:4, Ephesians 1:2, and Colossians 1:2?