I just received an email from a man who watched one of my YouTube videos and liked everything I said, but didn’t care for the idea that, in his mind at least, I was a trinitarian. He is a man of science with a medical and computer background and indicated that he tries to understand the Bible purely from a logical, scientific approach. This was my response to him. Wanted to share this in hopes that this might bless someone. Natan
I am not trinitarian in the traditional sense. There is no label for what I believe. I believe what the OT and NT both say. Elohim is echad (a compound unity) and has revealed himself as Father, Son and Ruach. The Bible presents the Ruach as the feminine component of the Godhead. Before the creation Elohim was a more singular entity, then in order to relate to man, split into a compound unity, still one, but separate, and in the olam habah will be back to one again more or less. This is, to the best of my understanding, what the Bible teaches. But this understanding still falls short of the truth. Man can’t understand the unfathomable. To quantify the Godhead by using silly man-made labels like trinity, binity or oneness, or whatever, is, in my opinion, to create a god in own image according to our own limited understanding. This is idolatry and violates the second commandment. Make of this what you will.
A Hebraic understanding of Elohim defies man-made labels and logic, because it is beyond human understanding. This is why your science-based Greco-Roman logic fails to comprehend the godhead. Greco-Roman logical is ideal for explaining science because it is linear and is based on syllogistic or plane (horizontally)-oriented reasoning. Hebraic logic is vertically based and is circular or cyclically in nature and is based on and uses block logic. Science needs Greek logic to put a man on the moon. But this kind of logic won’t explain the one who made the moon. That’s where Hebraic logic comes in. Even then, it too is limited by human linguistics which were invented to describe physical things, not spiritual things.
I use a combination of both Hebraic and Greco-Roman logic. So did Paul, because he was schooled in both approaches. We need both approaches working together to reach humanity—the head or mind of man (Greco-Roman logic) as well as the heart or spirit of man (Hebraic logic). Truth and Spirit must work together to understand and approach Elohim as Yeshua told the woman at the well in John 4. The natural mind in its normal reasoning capacities using simple Greek logic can’t fully understand Elohim. Paul discusses this in 1 Cor 3:6-16. Paul goes on to say that both the Jews and Greeks stumble at the other’s approach when it comes to presenting the truth of the gospel (1 Cor 1:23), and that YHVH through the foolishness of preaching the gospel via weak vessels, the kingdom is advanced (1 Cor 1:18–25). I am that foolish person trying to preach the gospel, and my approach will likely offend (scandalize) both sides and illicit criticisms from both those who favor a more Aristotelian approach and those who want only the Hebraic approach. Yeshua instructed the righteous disciple of his to judge righteously by examining the fruits of the tree, and not the approach taken (Matt 7:15–20; John 7:24). YHVH’s approach throughout the Bible usually defies human logic. Those who are led by the Spirit will do the same. Those who rely solely on logic apart from faith and the Spirit will fall short of understanding and knowing Elohim, and will criticize and fail to understand the Spirit-led preacher.
May YHVH grant us the wisdom to discern his heart and truth from his, not man’s, flawed and limited perspective.
God is smarter than we are
For sure, and let’s leave it that way. It’s foolhardy of us to attempt to over-define things that are beyond our ability to comprehend.