Program 168: Confusion of Error versus Logic of Truth

Trinitarians freely admit that the doctrine of the trinity is a confusing mystery “too deep” for human understanding. But truth is logical. It is error that causes confusion.

Welcome to WLC Radio, a subsidiary of World’s Last Chance Ministries, an online ministry dedicated to learning how to live in constant readiness for the Savior's return.

For two thousand years, believers of every generation have longed to be the last generation. Contrary to popular belief, though, Christ did not give believers “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, he repeatedly warned that his coming would take even the faithful by surprise. Yahushua urgently warned believers to be ready because, he said, “The Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” [Matthew 24:44]

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* * *Part 1: (Miles & Dave)

Miles Robey: Hello! I’m Miles Robey and this is World’s Last Chance radio. Today, Dave Wright is going to be sharing with us the confusion that comes with error versus the logic of truth. Specifically, we’ll be looking at some passages from Scripture regarding the true nature of Yahuwah and the relationship He has with His son. Are they two parts of a triune godhead? Or is Yahuwah the only God and Yahushua not divine at all? Keep listening to find out what Scripture says.

Later, answering a question from our daily mailbag, Dave’s going to explain the difference between justification, sanctification, and glorification.

And finally, Elise O’Brien has another true story illustrating another powerful promise you’ll want to claim. But first, Dave? What can you tell us about the confusion of the error of the trinity and the logic of Biblical truth?

Dave Wright: Have you ever heard the gospel song, “God’s Own Fool”?

Miles: Uh … hmm.

Dave: It’s by an American singer by the name of Michael Card and it’s all about the paradox of the gospel. The first verse goes:

It seems I've imagined Him all of my life
As the wisest of all of mankind
But if God's Holy wisdom is foolish to man
He must have seemed out of His mind
For even His family said He was mad
And the priest said a demon's to blame
But, God in the form of this angry young man
Could not have seemed perfectly sane

It’s drawn from this idea that the gospel is foolish to our human understanding.

Miles: Well, didn’t Paul say that? Give me a second to look for it … That’s a Biblical concept.

Okay, here it is: 1 Corinthians chapter 1. Starting at verse, uh … verse 18. Listen to this. It says:

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of [Yah]. Has not [Yahuwah] made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of [Yah] the world through its wisdom did not know him, [Yahuwah] was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom [Yahuwah] has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of [Yah] and the wisdom of [Yah]. For the foolishness of [Yahuwah] is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of [Yahuwah] is stronger than human strength. [1 Corinthians 1:18, 20b-25]

So, really, this is a Biblical concept.

Dave: Sure! And that’s probably the passage that inspired his song. And, quite frankly, I enjoy Michael Card’s music. His lyrics are very deep and meaningful. They aren’t just some repetitious “halle-halle-hallelujah” like so many modern gospel songs.

Miles: What! You don’t care for the “vain repetitions of the heathens,” Dave?

Dave chuckles: No.

You’re missing my point, though. Yes, Paul said that the gospel was foolishness to the wise of the world. To the understanding of sinful human beings, a sinless person dying for the sins of others makes no sense. However, believers have extrapolated from that and broadly applied that idea to other doctrines, doctrines that make no sense whatsoever.

Even the chorus of the song starts edging over into that. Here. Read the lyrics of the chorus. What does it say?

Miles:

When we in our foolishness thought we were wise
He played the fool and He opened our eyes
When we in our weakness believed we were strong
He became helpless to show we were wrong
And so we follow God's own Fool
For only the foolish can tell
Believe the unbelievable
Come be a fool as well

Dave: So this idea has developed that, if some theological concept is hard to wrap your brain around, it must—be default—be true. After all, we’re simply foolish humans who only think we’re smart.

Miles: Hmmm. Yeah, I see what you’re saying. That’s not what Paul was saying, though. He was applying it only to the gospel, not other doctrines.

Dave: No. And yet, believers today fling around this idea and use it to try and “prove” doctrines that are actually in error. But that is foolish. Truth is logical. It’s provable. It’s not hard to understand.

The trinity doctrine in particular is illogical. Instead of recognizing that it is a ridiculous, absurd, preposterous idea that is impossible to understand, proponents of it simply dismiss the problems that arise when trying to explain it and say, “It’s a mystery too deep for human understanding.” And that’s supposed to be enough for us to lay aside logic—

Miles: And Scripture!

Dave: And Scripture and simply accept it blindly. But that’s not what the Father wants from us. He invites us, “Come now, let us reason together.” [Isaiah 1:18] The word translated into English as “reason” comes from the Hebrew word, yawkach. It means, literally, to be right or correct and includes to argue, justify, decide or convict.

Miles: Basically, using your brain to be convicted as to the truth.

Dave: Exactly. We’re never supposed to just shrug our shoulders and say, “Oh, well! That sounds so foolish it must be true, it’s just too difficult for me to understand.” That’s not how Yah works!

Isaac Watts. You know the name?

Miles: Yeah. English hymn writer. Born in the . . . um, late 17^th-century as I recall. Didn’t he write over 500 hymns?

Dave: Yes, but more than that he was both a theologian and a logician. He even authored a textbook on logic that was first published in 1724.

Miles: What was the name of it?

Dave: Logic: The Right Use of Reason in the Inquiry After Truth. It’s actually still in print. Anyway, he made an astute observation in it I’d like you to read. I have a copy of it right here. Turn to page 325 and read the paragraph that’s marked.

Miles: All right, uh, it says:

The power of reasoning was given us by our Maker, for this very end, to pursue truth; and we abuse one of His richest gifts if we basely yield up to be led astray by any of the meaner powers of nature or the perishing interests of this life. Reason itself, if honestly obeyed, will lead us to receive the divine revelation of the Gospel, where it is duly proposed, and this will show us the path to life everlasting.

Dave: Now compare that with a statement made by Peter Berger in his 1992 book entitled A Far Glory: The Quest for Faith in an Age of Credulity. He wrote, quote: “There is some warrant for asserting that the propensity to believe evident nonsense increases rather than decreases with higher education.”

Miles: Do you believe that?

Dave: Well, I don’t see that so much in academia as I do in theology but, like I said, the trinity doctrine is a prime example of this. It’s nonsense. And yet, the very fact that it’s illogical and impossible to understand is used as “proof” of its validity.

But this is not what Scripture teaches us to do. Turn to Ephesians chapter 1 and let’s look at what the apostle Paul said under inspiration.

Miles: Ephesians 1?

Dave: Verses 17 and 18. What’s that say?

Miles:

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Yahushua Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people.

Dave: It’s a cop-out to claim a logical explanation for some doctrine can’t be provided because it’s simply too “deep” for human comprehension. That is not what Scripture teaches us to do.

But the unavoidable truth is that many believers today accept nonsense as truth and they dismiss the fallacious … nonsensical …preposterous … absurdities as deep truths to be accepted by blind faith.

Miles: It doesn’t say much for the truth when we do that, does it?

Dave: No! That doesn’t honor Yah!

Turn to Matthew 7. This is from Christ’s sermon on the mount and it’s a fascinating passage because here in verses 15 through 20, he’s actually giving us a litmus test we can use for assessing whether or not a teaching is true. Go ahead and read it. Matthew 7, verses 15 to 20.

Miles:

Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Dave: The “fruit” of heavenly truth is clarity. Logic. Consistency. Rationality. All of these the truth has and can be understood by the human mind.

The problem is, too often we put church fellowship ahead of the truth. We allow peer pressure to keep us silent just so we can “fit in” with our chosen faith community. The Holy Spirit might be pointing out error to us, but we silence it when we accept the party line that truth is “too deep” for human comprehension.

Miles: And Satan wins.

Dave: Of course, because there is power in the truth. Error is weak.

Arthur Schopenhauer, the great 19^th-century German philosopher once observed, quote: “There is no opinion, however absurd, which men will not readily embrace as soon as they can be brought to the conviction that it is generally adopted.”

Miles: Sooo: conviction by peer pressure.

Dave: It’s as old as … Eve feeling she needed to justify her obedience of Yah’s commands to the snake. We like consensus. We don’t like to stand alone. It’s uncomfortable.

Miles: You certainly don’t have the comfort of surrounding yourself with like-minded people if you’re going to step out and follow truth.

Dave: Insisting believers accept nonsensical theology by blind faith keeps them ignorant and in submission to the church hierarchy.

I have here a book called The Western Heritage of Faith and Reason. Would you turn to the orange sticky note and read where it’s marked? Yeah, just … right there.

Miles: “The Son of Yahuwah died; it is absolutely to be believed because it is absurd. And he was buried and rose again; the fact is certain because it is impossible.”

Dave: What do you think of that sort of “argument”?

Miles laughs: Wow. There are so many logical fallacies in that one statement! Just … wow.

Dave: Well, it forces a false choice. It forces the believer to either accept by blind faith or throw it out as utter nonsense. There’s no middle ground so the majority of the world, being unbelievers anyway, tosses it out as nonsense.

And yet, Scripture itself does not speak like this. Turn to Acts chapter 2. Let’s look at how Scripture does speak of the death and resurrection of the Saviour. Acts 2 and verses 14 to 36. This is Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost and, while you read, I want you to look for anywhere that Peter urged his listeners to take anything he said on blind faith.

Go ahead.

Miles:

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

“‘In the last days, Yahuwah says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of Yahuwah.
And everyone who calls
on the name of Yahuwah will be saved.’

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Yahushua of Nazareth was a man accredited by [Yah] to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which [Yahuwah] did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by [Yahuwah’s] deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But [Yah] raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. David said about him:

“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’

“Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. But he was a prophet and knew that Yah had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. Yahuwah has raised this Yahushua to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of Yah, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’

“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: Yahuwah has made this Yahushua, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

Dave: Peter was making some rather incredible claims here! Do you see anywhere that Peter was demanding his hearers accept what he was claiming on blind faith alone?

Miles: No! In fact, he’s building a careful case to support his claims. He’s quoting from Scripture and here in verse, uh … 32, he says, quote: “We are all witnesses.”

Dave: This is the sort of logical foundation on which Yahuwah builds His truth. We can accept and embrace and, most importantly, understand it.

Miles: I like that. Yahuwah doesn’t need blind mind-slaves. He wants us to understand.

Dave: That’s right. Certainly those who know Yahuwah will trust Him and have confidence in Him, but it is His will for us to know and understand all that His wisdom has seen fit to reveal.

* * *

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* * *Part 2: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Before we go on, I want to take just a couple of minutes to explain—very briefly—the basis on which we can take such a bold stand against the majority of Christians and tell them they’re wrong when it comes to the trinity. After all, that’s the foundational doctrine on which modern Christianity is built! The trinity doctrine deals with the very nature of the divine!

Dave: And we should know everything Scripture has to reveal about the nature of Yah as well as that of the son and the Holy Spirit. We don’t deny there is a Holy Spirit.

Miles: Yeah, that was a point of confusion for me when I first heard there were Christians who claimed there was no trinity. How could you say there was no trinity when Scripture itself refers to a “Holy Spirit”? But then I did the word search. I got out my concordance and looked up every single use of the word “spirit” and “ghost” in Scripture. Every single one.

Dave: And what did you discover?

Miles: Well, it simply means “breath.” That’s all. From Genesis 1 where the “spirit of Yah hovers over the waters” to the New Testament. It just refers to the breath of Yah. But that actually makes sense since Isaiah 55:11 reveals that the word of Yah itself contains the power to do what He speaks. That’s the power in His very breath! It’s very real.

Dave: Right. Another point that, based on what you’ve said before, confused both of us when we first started studying the truth about the nature of Yah is 1 John 5:7 and 8.

Miles: Oh, yeah. I remember that. It seemed such a compelling argument in favor of a triune godhead. It says: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”

Dave: You know it by memory!

Miles: Well, yeah. It’s the foremost passage that seems to “prove” the triune nature of God. The thing I didn’t know at first is that those verses weren’t actually written by John. In fact, they don’t appear in any of the oldest manuscripts. They were added over a thousand years later by some scribe that decided Christians needed more proof to support the trinity doctrine.

Dave: Holy fiction.

Miles: Right! We’ve got a number of other programs that deal with the true nature of Yahuwah. You can listen to them on our website or on YouTube. We’ve also got lots of articles on it. But for now, just know that the evidence is there and it’s based solidly on Scripture that the nature of God is unitarian. Yahuwah is one. He’s not triune; He’s not three-in-one. Just one.

Dave: And yet, this belief, which originates in paganism, has permeated modern Christian theology! I’ve got a few quotes here I printed off that I’d like you to read. Go ahead and read through those.

Miles: All right, uh, this first one is from an article entitled “The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity.” It’s written by Father Peter John Cameron, O.P. What’s “O.P.”?

Dave: “Order of Preachers.” He’s a Dominican priest in the Roman Catholic Church.

Miles: Oh, okay. Uh, it says:

The Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and life…the source of all the other mysteries of faith, the light that enlightens them.” … It is one of the mysteries of faith "that are hidden in God, which can never be known unless they are revealed by God ….” And once this mystery is revealed to us in God's divine goodness, even though it seems an impenetrable paradox — one God in three Persons — we recognize that the reality of the Triune God is exactly what we need…what we were made for.

Dave: All right. That’s a lot of words. A whole paragraph, in fact, and what’s it saying?

Miles: Not much other than the triune nature of Yahuwah is something we can’t understand.

Dave: So just accept it by faith.

Miles: Right. If it’s something we can’t grasp, we’re just to accept it by blind faith.

Dave: What’s the next one?

Miles: Um, this is from the website Christian.info. The article is called “The Mystery of the Trinity.” It says: “The concept of the Trinity is a mystery of God, but we grapple with it because it’s worthwhile to understand God as much as we can. … There is one God who exists eternally in three persons.”

Dave: And the last one?

Miles: This is taken from an article by Wayne Grudem entitled—unsurprisingly—“The Mystery of the Trinity.” Popular title.

He writes:

At times it can seem difficult to understand how there are three distinct persons of the Trinity, each with the whole being of God in himself, even though there is only one God, and he is undivided. And it should be difficult. The Trinity is one of those mysteries we can only describe in part. Although different analogies from creation can help us a bit in understanding the Trinity, ultimately all analogies fail in describing this mystery, for they attempt to explain the being of God in terms of the creation. They are attempts to explain how God is like the creation. But nothing in creation is exactly like God’s being. Attempts to simplify or fully explain this mystery all fail and often lead to beliefs that are contrary to the Bible’s teachings.

In short, the doctrine of the Trinity is something we will never fully understand, for parts of it are beyond our comprehension. It is, in part, one of those “secret things” that “belong to the LORD our God” (Deut. 29:29).

Dave: Notice the main point, over and over, is that the trinity is a “mystery” we can’t fully explain because we can’t fully understand it. So, we’re just supposed to accept it.

Miles: Yeah, I noticed that last one even quotes Deuteronomy to back up the validity of a belief we can’t understand.

Dave: Let’s read that. Deuteronomy 29 verse 29. Would you look that up for us?

Miles: Yeah, I’ve got it right here. It says: “The secret things belong to Yahuwah our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Dave: Handy little verse to trot out whenever your doctrine doesn’t make sense. Just claim it’s one of those “secret things” that belong to Yah and that shuts down any questions.

Miles: Convenient!

Dave: But is it true? Yes, the trinity doctrine is impossible to understand, but not because it’s some deep enigma too profound for human minds to grasp! It can’t be understood because it’s illogical nonsense! Human minds can grasp the true nature of God because it’s very clear and straightforward, and Scripture explains it very understandably.

It’s ironic trinitarians use this verse in Deuteronomy because it’s in Deuteronomy that we get the clearest statement regarding the nature of Yahuwah. Would you turn to—?

Miles: Already going there. Deuteronomy 6 verse 4. It says: “Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one!” You can’t get more clear than that!

Dave: Go ahead and read verse 5, too.

Miles: “You shall love Yahuwah your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Dave: “God” here is actually Elohim but what I want you to see is that the term we’ve always said was three-in-one is actually only one. And Deuteronomy says so!

Now, over a millennium later, you remember when a lawyer asked Yahushua, “Which is the most important commandment?”

What did he say?

Miles: Uh … “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul?”

Dave: Let’s read it. Mark 12 verses 28 through 31.

Miles:

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Yahushua had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Yahushua, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: Yahuwah our God, Yahuwah is one. Love Yahuwah your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Dave: This would have been the perfect opportunity to establish the triune nature of God in a New Testament setting. He could have said, “Love the Father, and the Son, and the Spirit with all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength.” He could have said that. He certainly had the vocabulary to do so.

Miles: But he didn’t.

Dave: No. Instead, he quoted Deuteronomy 6 verse 4, establishing the unitarian nature of God. Yahuwah is one.

Most of us know Sir Isaac Newton for his theories in physics, his skill in math and astronomy. In fact, he’s widely considered one of the greatest mathematicians and physicists of all time.

Miles: In referring to his own theory of relativity, Albert Einstein said of Newton, quote: “No one must think that Newton’s great creation can be overthrown in any real sense by this [Theory of Relativity] or by any other theory. His clear and wide ideas will for ever retain their significance as the foundation on which our modern conceptions of physics have been built.”

Dave: Huh! You memorize the most interesting things! But what most people don’t know is that the brilliant mind of Newton contemplated and wrote more on theology than any other subject. It might surprise you to learn that Newton did not believe in a triune God. He thought it was foolish. In fact, let me pull up a quote on my monitor really quickly …

Here. Listen to this. Newton wryly observed: “The human race is prone to mysteries, and holds nothing so holy and perfect as that which cannot be understood.”

Miles: That’s the trinity!

Dave: But he also said, quote: “Truth is ever to be found in simplicity, and not in multiplicity and confusion of things.”

Miles: Also the trinity. You know it’s confusing when scholars give up trying to explain it and just say, “Take my word for it. It’s really true. Just accept it on faith!”

Dave: Right! That’s not how it works, folks! It’s not how it works.

Miles: I remember reading something William Tyndale wrote. Tyndale, as our listeners may recall, was an English theologian and linguist. He was really active in the Protestant Reformation. He’s best known for being the first person to translate the Bible into English before being strangled and burned at the stake.

Dave: Did you know he was only 42 when he was martyred?

Miles: Seriously? That’s young! The images I’ve seen of him—the engravings, you know—always make him look a lot older with a snow-white beard.

Dave: Well … this was the early 1500s!

Miles: That’s true. Anyway, Tyndale had a clear understanding of how scholars tend to quibble over little things and miss the weightier matters.

Dave: Just like the pharisees in Christ’s day, or scholars in our own, for that matter.

Miles: “The more things change, the more they stay the same!” Anyway, in referring to scholars that quibble over the hidden meanings behind words, he said they were, quote, “idle disputers and brawlers about vain words, ever gnawing on the bitter bark without and never attaining the sweet pith within.”

Dave: Hm. Insightful comment. But then, he was an insightful man. He understood the dangers of what, today, we call “cherry-picking” the truth. He believed the Bible should be read as a whole and in context, taking it just as it reads. The Bible, he said, “tells a tale that any man or woman can understand, without being ordained, or studying theology.”

Miles: Wow. His understanding was really ahead of his time, wasn’t it?

Dave: Shortly before his death, he urged believers to “be not overcome by men’s persuasions.” Well, that’s what the trinity doctrine is. People believe it based on men’s persuasions, not the Bible, because the Bible doesn’t teach it.

Miles: Getting back to Isaac Watts, do you think there’s a correlation between his study of logic and his rejection of the trinity doctrine?

Dave: Oh, absolutely! In fact, I’ve got a quote here … somewhere … I wanted you to read. Let me just find it …

Here it is. It’s a quote from his book on logic. He wrote it after 20 years of intense study on the nature of Yahuwah. Now if the Bible actually taught a triune godhead, he would have found evidence for it in that time, don’t you think? Go ahead and read it.

Miles:

But how can such weak creatures ever take in so strange, so difficult and so abstruse a doctrine as this [the Trinity], in the explication and defence whereof multitudes of men, even men of learning and piety, have lost themselves in infinite subtleties of dispute and endless mazes of darkness? And can this strange and perplexing notion of three real persons going to make up one true God be so necessary and so important a part of that Christian doctrine, which, in the Old Testament and the New, is represented as so plain and so easy, even to the meanest understandings?

Dave: All Christian denominations claim to be Bible based. However, let me ask you this: how can an organization or a church that claims to be Bible based believe and teach a doctrine that was never taught by Christ or the apostles? Can it truly be said to be founded on Scripture?

Miles: Well … no. Not unless it also adopts the Roman Catholic dogma of inerrancy and, like Catholics, put church “tradition” on a par with Scripture. That’s the only way you can do it because a triune godhead certainly isn’t in Scripture.

Dave: Let’s take a minute now to look at some passages of Scripture that clearly differentiate between the Father and the son. And I want to emphasize, these are just a handful of passages out of many.

Let’s start with John 14:28. What does that say?

Miles: We just recently did a show on that. There were a ton of Bible passages—more than I realized!

Dave: There are a lot!

Miles: In fact, there’s an article on our website that just list’s all the Bible texts. Look for it. It’s called “Differences between Yahuwah and Yahushua.” It lists like 50 different texts that spell out the differences between the Father and the son.

Okay. John 14:28 says: “I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I.”

Dave: If the Father and the son were “one” in the trinitarian sense, Yahushua couldn’t honestly and accurately state that the Father is greater than he, could he?

Miles: No.

Dave: All right, uh … John 20 verse 17.

Miles: “I ascend to my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

Dave: Yahushua has a God! And it’s not himself!

Miles laughs: Good point.

Dave: Last one. What does Ephesians chapter 4, verses 4 to 6.

Miles: Ephesians … Ephesians.

Dave: Comes right after Galatians.

Miles: You’re so helpful!

Dave: Romans: 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians.

Miles: You memorized all the books of the Bible in order?

Dave: Sure! As a kid, it gave me an edge when our Sunday school teacher would give us Bible quizzes. I was rather competitive.

Miles: All right, uh … “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

Dave: There is one God. Not three-in-one. Just one. We forget that the Bible writers had the vocabulary to clearly state the triune nature of God if that were what they wanted to say, but it wasn’t, and they didn’t.

Christ himself made a point of repeatedly pointing out the differences between the Father and himself. Read his prayer in John 17, verses 1 to 4. This is a very enlightening passage. Notice what Yahushua is asking the Father to do and notice that it would be contradictory if Father and son were “one” in the trinitarian sense of the word.

You have it? Go ahead.

Miles:

After Yahushua said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:

“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Yahushua Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

Dave: You can’t argue that Yahushua can say these things because he “laid aside” his divinity. These are statements that still can’t be true. Notice verse 2 where Yahushua says Yahuwah “granted him authority.” Then he goes on and states clearly “this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God … and … Yahushua Christ.” He’s stating Yahuwah is the only true God. The “and” connects Yahushua, but not as the second member of the godhead. Merely as someone it is necessary to know in order to have eternal life.

Stephen, the first Christian martyr, also understood the Father and the son were separate, different, beings. Read what he says at his trial and execution. It’s in Acts chapter, uh, 7, I think. Read just the part where he knows he’s going to die.

Miles: Okay, that’s verses 55 to 60. It says:

Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of [Yahuwah], and Yahushua standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Yahushua, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.

Dave: Now, taking this just as it reads, let me ask you this: if Yahushua were “God,” too, just as we’ve always been taught in trinitarianism, then how could he be said to be standing “at the right hand of God”? Because in the original Greek, it doesn’t say he’s standing next to Yahuwah. It says theos, which is the Greek equivalent of our English word, “God.” How can God stand beside himself?

Miles: Yeah, doesn’t make a lot of sense, does it?

Dave: Not at all. There are so many, many passages of Scripture that emphasize the separateness, or the individual nature of Father and son. They’re not the same, not even in a two-parts-of-one-whole kind of way.

We’ve already talked about Deuteronomy 4 verse 6, but there are others. Read 2 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 31. What does that say?

Miles: “The God and Father of the Lord Yahushua, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.”

Dave: “The God and Father of … Yahushua.” This doesn’t make sense if they’re both “God.” God doesn’t have a God or a Father, but Yahushua does. Clearly, they’re not both “God.”

Okay. Ephesians 1 verse 3. What’s that say?

Miles: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”

Dave: Again. This makes no sense if Father and son are both “God.”

One last verse out of the many: 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 3.

Miles: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yahushua Christ, who according to his great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Yahushua Christ from the dead.”

Dave: Do you see how Paul keeps repeating this concept over and over? It wasn’t a “slip of the pen.” He meant what he said when he spoke of the “God and Father” of Christ. God doesn’t have a god, and if Yahushua were “God,” if he were part of a triune godhead, he couldn’t have been said to have a God.

Miles: I never really thought of it that way, but you’re right.

Dave: We must remember that truth is logical. You don’t have to bend your brain or twist Scripture to arrive at the truth. You don’t have to just accept on blind faith facts that have already been revealed and the nature of “God” is not something that has been hidden from us. It has been clearly spelled out in Scripture that Yahuwah is one, He’s the only true God, and there’s only one of Him.

If you study something and the more you look at it, the more confusing it gets? Chances are there’s error mingled in there somewhere, so keep digging for the truth because it will always make sense.

Miles: And it’s harmonious. It doesn’t contradict itself.

Stay tuned! Up next is our daily mailbag.

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You are listening to World's Last Chance Radio.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.

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In today’s world, there is an almost limitless number of belief systems. Christianity itself has literally thousands of different denominations, each one convinced that they are correct, they’re the remnant, and all others are wrong.

With such a confusing cacophony of opinions, voices, beliefs, and ideas, it can be confusing to know what the truth really is. When you’re confronted with two opposing views, do you know how to figure out which one is correct? Maybe they’re both wrong! What do you do then?

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* * *Daily Mailbag (Miles & Dave)

Miles: Okay! We’ve got an interesting question from our daily mailbag. Felix from Caloocan in the Philippines writes: “I lead a weekly Bible study for a group of teens. They’re great young people with bright and inquiring minds. This week, they wanted to know the difference between justification, sanctification, and glorification. I did all right explaining about glorification, but I have to confess that I couldn’t put into words very well the difference between justification and sanctification. How would you define the difference?”

Dave: That’s a great question. So often, we fling these terms around without actually taking the time to clarify precisely what we mean, but it’s important to have a clear understanding of what these terms mean because there’s so much information packed into every term.

All right. Glorification, as Felix knows, has to do with when Yahushua returns and those believers still living are transformed, being given not only new bodies, but higher natures as well. This is what Paul was talking about in Philippians chapter 3. Why don’t you turn there really quickly? Philippians 3 verses 20 and 21.

Miles: “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Yahushua Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to his glorious body, according to the working by which he is able even to subdue all things to himself.”

Dave: So that’s glorification. It hasn’t happened yet.

Justification happens the moment a repentant sinner accepts the death of Christ on his or her behalf. When the hand of faith grasps the promise of forgiveness, the sinner is immediately justified. This is why we talk about “justification … by faith.”

Miles: Yeah, I remember the story of Martin Luther climbing Pilate’s Staircase on his knees during his visit to Rome. Doing penance for his sins. Then he remembered that text in Romans [1:17] where it says “The just shall live by faith.”

He stood up, ran down the stairs, and never again did penance.

Dave: Because he realized that salvation is a gift. Just like it says in Romans 6:23. “The wages of sin is death but the gift of [Yah] is eternal life.” It’s a gift and it is accepted and received by faith. You are accounted worthy when, by faith, you accept Christ’s sacrifice. That is justification.

Miles: So what’s sanctification?

Dave: Something that is sanctified is something—or someone—that is set apart for holy use. It can also be defined as the act of being made holy. Like justification and glorification, sanctification is also a gift. But, as with justification, it’s not something imposed upon us against our will.

We have to assent, we have to agree, because Yah’s not going to force it on us.

Miles: Okay, but how does this work? I went through a period where I thought I’d have to be perfect before Yahushua returns. Of course, that was discouraging as I kept sinning, even when I didn’t want to.

I know now that, as long as we have fallen natures, we’ll continue to stumble and make mistakes.

Dave: Right. But that doesn’t mean we’re out there merrily sinning without even trying to resist temptation. We have a part to play and that part is to surrender our wills to Yah so that He can work in us to will and to do according to His good pleasure. In fact, why don’t you read that? Philippians 2 verses 12 and 13.

Miles: “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is [Yah] who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

Dave: Again, it’s all a gift. However, since Yahuwah will never force our wills, our part is to assent, to give Him permission to work in us. Then He will transform us into His image. He’ll do it. And that’s sanctification.

Miles: Okay!

Up next: Elise O’Brien with an amazing story and promise about never giving up. Stay tuned!

* * *Daily Promise

Hello! This is Elise O’Brien with today’s daily promise from Yah’s word.

In 1938, Károly Takács was considered the best pistol shooter in the world. He was the favored shooter expected to win gold at the 1940 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. Unfortunately, while training with the Hungarian army, a faulty hand grenade exploded in his hand, dashing his hopes of Olympic gold. Takács spent weeks in the hospital, recovering from the severe injury and depressed at the loss of his dreams.

Somewhere along the way, though, he made a surprising decision. Many people would have given up but not Takács. He already knew how to shoot. He just needed to practice doing it with his … left hand, so that’s what he did. When he got out of the hospital, he began practicing in secret, not wanting anyone to see how badly he shot with his left hand. But it wasn’t long at all before he was hitting the target again and again, getting better and better. To his countrymen’s surprise, Takács won the Hungarian national pistol shooting championship in the spring of 1939. He was also a member of the Hungarian team that won the 1939 World Shooting Championships. His dream to win Olympic gold seemed back on track. However, the 1940 Olympics ended up being canceled due to World War II. Then, the 1944 Olympics were also canceled. Olympic athletes’ careers typically don’t last long enough to span multiple Olympics, but Takács was determined to follow his dream.

At age 38, Takács beat out the favorite, Carlos Sáenz Valiente of Argentina, to win Olympic gold at the 1948 London Olympics. He repeated that achievement, winning another gold medal at the 1952 summer Olympics in Helsinki, Finland. And he did it all with his left hand.

His dreams hadn’t unfolded just the way he’d envisioned, but through diligence and commitment, through perseverance and not giving up, he was able to achieve his goal becoming the first shooter ever to win two gold medals in the 25-meter rapid fire pistol event.

We have a goal, too. And, like Takács, we face hurdles and setbacks and difficulties. But like him, if we will persevere, we too can overcome, and the reward awaiting us is an eternal reward.

Revelation chapter 21 contains an incredibly inspiring, beautiful, and encouraging promise. Verse 7 states, quote, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.”

We have been given great and precious promises. Go and start claiming.

* * *Part 3: (Miles & Dave)

Miles: I really appreciate the thoughts you shared in today’s program. As Elise was sharing her daily promise, I was thinking about a passage where Yahushua explained precisely how hearts are convicted of the truth and it’s certainly not through blind acceptance.

Let me read this passage to you. It’s in John 16 and is probably the clearest explanation anywhere of how conviction works. Listen to this, starting in verse 7, it says:

Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you. And when he has come, he will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father and you see me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak; and he will tell you things to come. He will glorify me, for he will take of what is mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are mine. Therefore I said that he will take of mine and declare it to you.

“A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I go to the Father.”

Dave: That’s excellent. Just like Peter’s sermon on Pentecost, the Helper, which is the Holy Spirit, or the spirit of Yah, builds a careful foundation appealing to the mind and heart both. It’s one that is strong because it’s logical. Nothing here is being force-fed on blind faith alone.

Keep ahold of your Bible there and let’s look up some more Bible verses. Read Titus 1 verse 9. Here Paul is explaining the qualities a church leader should have. Titus 1:9.

Miles: “He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.”

Dave: “He must hold firmly.” To what? To the sound doctrine he’s been taught and which, in turn, he teaches to others. Sound doctrine is not fables supposedly too “deep” for human comprehension. It is sound because it appeals to the mind. It has the weight and logic of truth.

We see this in Paul’s appeal to Governor Felix. What does Acts 24 verse 25 say? Read what Felix’s response to Paul’s logic was.

Miles: “Now as he [Paul] reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and answered, ‘Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you.’”

Dave: Paul—reasoned—with Felix and it scared Felix because it was so logical and compelling.

Miles: Truth is compelling!

Dave: In Acts 26, Paul speaks of when Yahushua commissioned him to take the gospel to the gentiles. Verse 18 says, quote, “To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to [Yah], that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”

Notice the phrase, “to open their eyes.” That’s talking about convicting both the mind and the heart. The mind and heart aren’t convicted through sheer blind faith in foolish fallacies. They’re convicted when the spirit of Yah logically sets truth home to the mind and heart.

Miles: Like Yahushua said in John 8:32: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

We don’t have to rely on blind faith to accept improbable, illogical fables, folks! The Father is more than willing to supply all the evidence we need to lay a firm foundation for us so that, no matter what happens, our beliefs will be strong and our faith will have something firm to hold onto.

Please join us again tomorrow, and until then, remember: Yahuwah loves you . . . and He is safe to trust!

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This program and past episodes of WLC Radio are available for downloading on our website. They're great for sharing with friends and for use in Bible studies! They're also an excellent resource for those worshipping Yahuwah alone at home. To listen to previously aired programs, visit our website at WorldsLastChance.com. Click on the WLC Radio icon displayed on our homepage.

In his teachings and parables, the Savior gave no “signs of the times” to watch for. Instead, the thrust of his message was constant … vigilance. Join us again tomorrow for another truth-filled message as we explore various topics focused on the Savior's return and how to live in constant readiness to welcome him warmly when he comes.

WLC Radio: Teaching minds and preparing hearts for Christ's sudden return.