UNDERSTANDING THE BIBLICAL GOD
If our ideas about God are wrong then we'll be wrong about our
other doctrines too, because ultimately all our beliefs stem from
our view of God.
This article reveals how the biblical God differs from the Mormon
God, through a study of His attributes. A clear explanation of the
Trinity is included.
A SHORT COMPARISON
In line with the teachings of Joseph Smith, members of the LDS church
worship a deity who is only one of many Gods throughout the universe,
each ruling their own planets. In common with mankind, these Gods all
originally existed as intelligent matter. Then they evolved to the
form of spirit beings. After having progressed sufficiently, they took
on bodies of flesh and bone on planets similar to earth, where they
earned the right to godhood through obedience to laws and ordinances,
and by gaining the requisite amount of intelligence.
The name of the LDS God is Elohim, and like us he was a fallen sinner
who had needed a Redeemer. As is the practice with Mormons of today,
he also had to earn the right to forgiveness of his sins. After
progressing sufficiently he was eventually exalted to godhood.
But unlike the God of the Bible, Elohim has a body of flesh and
bone, which limits him in that he can only be in one place at a
time. Furthermore, because the universe was already in existence
before he became a spirit being, he had nothing to do with its
creation. So he not vital, or even necessary to it, but is subject to
it in the same way that we are.
On the other hand, the biblical God is self-existing; the First
Cause and the Creator of all that exists. He created and sustains
the universe and all that is in it, so it is subject to Him. Moreover
He is unique in that He is, always has been and always will be the
only God in existence. So He is supreme over all. Because He is
spirit, His presence permeates the entire universe. He is
eternally unchanging, without sin, immortal, and omnipotent.
Ordinary mortal man does not have the wherewithal to fathom God
out. It would be impossible for a finite, created being to fully
comprehend the far superior, infinite One who had created him.
Because of our limitations the only way we can begin to have any
real understanding of God is through His own revelation of Himself.
And He has chosen to reveal Himself to us firstly through the Old
Testament prophets in the Bible, and lastly through His living
Word who became flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ.
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past
unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by
whom also he made the worlds (Hebrews 1:1,2, KJV)
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
A study of idolatry reveals that behind every false god and/or idol,
stands that great deceiver, Satan. The Bible is emphatic in its
teaching that God is unique, and that although there are many other
so-called gods, He is the only real God who has ever existed. He was
the first God, and will be the last. The first means before
anything else, and the last means after everything else.
..... I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none
like me (Isaiah 46:9, KJV).
..... Before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be
after me (Isaiah 43:10, KJV)
..... I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no
God (Isaiah 44:6, KJV).
GOD IS AN IMMORTAL SPIRIT
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that God is Spirit (John
4:24). He also said that a spirit doesn't have flesh and bones (Luke
24:39). Paul said that God is immortal and no man can see Him as He
really is because He is surrounded by unapproachable light (1
Timothy 6:16).
..... Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me,
and live. (Exodus 33:20, KJV)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is
in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18,
KJV)
However, the fact that Moses and the elders saw Him (Exodus
24:9-10), and that Isaiah had a vision of Him in the temple (Isaiah
6:1) tells us that God can manifest Himself in a visible form. And
we also realize that a spirit can manifest itself in a bodily form
because John the Baptist saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove
on Jesus (Matthew 3:16). Nevertheless, these appearances of God are
not His essence, but manifestations of Him.
GOD IS ETERNAL, SELF-EXISTING AND UNCHANGING
God is not a created being; His
existence as God had no beginning and will have no ending, because
He is self-existing. He is the First Cause, the Creator, the source,
and the origin of all life. In other words, He always has been
deity, eternally.
..... the Father hath life in himself (John 5:26, KJV).
..... with thee is the fountain of life (Psalm 36:9. KJV).
..... From everlasting to everlasting Thou art God (Psalm 90:2,
KJV).
The words "everlasting" and "eternal" mean
exactly what the dictionaries say they mean, and not what the LDS
has pretended they mean, in an attempt to make it seem as though
their unbiblical doctrines fit in with what the Bible teaches.
According to the dictionaries and in line with the Bible,
"everlasting" means endless and unceasing. And
"eternal" means without beginning or end of existence,
everlasting, ceaseless and unchangeable (Chambers's Twentieth
Century Dictionary).
James wanted to illustrate the fact that God is pre-eminent, and
is and always has been always eternally the same. So he called Him
'the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting
shadow' (James 1:17). Stuart Briscoe amplified James's statement
in this way:
"When the sun is at its peak at midday directly overhead, there
are no shadows. As it moves across the sky, so shadows start
appearing and shifting. However, God is always at a shadowless peak,
without rising or setting, beginning or ending. He doesn't revolve
around anything else, but is always central and supreme."
Because God is eternally unchanging, we can know for a certainty
that although all else around us may change, both He and His Word
will always remain reliable and steadfast.
For I am the Lord, I change not (Malachi 3:6, KJV)
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God
shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:8, KJV)
Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. (Psalm 119:89,
KJV)
GOD IS INFINITE
That God is infinite, means that He isn't subject to or bound by
anything, not even the dimensions of time and space. He created
time and space, and they are subject to Him. As He has no
human limitations, His abilities are beyond our comprehension.
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?
saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
(Jeremiah 23:24, KJV).
GOD IS OMNIPOTENT AND SOVEREIGN
This means that there is nothing that God cannot do, and that all of
His creation is subject to His will.
..... Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26,
KJV)
The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of
water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. (Proverbs 21:1, KJV)
GOD IS OMNISCIENT
His omniscience means that absolute knowledge is a part of God's
very Being, whether it be in the past, present or future. He is
all-knowing, all-seeing and all-wise. So unlike the LDS God, He has
never needed to progress. He doesn't have to learn anything, gain
any experience, or fathom things out. Nothing ever takes Him by
surprise. His knowledge of past, present and future is perfect,
instantaneous and true. Just as His Person is the I Am, so His
knowledge is. His omniscience explains why the prophecies He gives
to His true prophets are always fulfilled.
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things that are not yet done ... (Isaiah 46:10 KJV)
God's omniscience is the reason He knew, 150 years before the birth
of Cyrus, that his parents would give him that particular name, and
that he would become a king. His prophecy through Isaiah (and
Jeremiah), and its fulfillment, are both given below:
[God] That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all
my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to
the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:28, KJV)
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the
Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the Lord
stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,
saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the
earth hath the Lord God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me
to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there
among you of all his people? The Lord his God be with him, and let
him go up. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23, KJV)
Because God exists in the dimension of eternity and is the
author and creator of time, to Him the past, present and future
are equally clear.
GOD IS HOLY
God is and always has eternally been morally perfect, absolutely
pure and free from sin and defilement. Unlike the Mormon
God who had once needed salvation, the biblical God has never, ever
sinned. His holiness manifests itself in a hatred of, and
opposition to all that is wrong, sinful or unrighteous. It also
makes Him want to save others from sin, so that they can be holy
too.
GOD IS LOVE
God's love isn't anything like our idea of love. It's an
unconditional commitment to our well being, even to His own hurt.
We don't have to earn His love. He doesn't love us for who we are,
or for what we can do for Him. He loves us because of His qualities,
because of His goodness, because of who He is. And it's only after
we become aware of His wondrous and undeserved love for us that
we're capable of loving either Him or others with a true,
unconditional love. As the apostle John puts it:
We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19, KJV)
But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8, KJV).
GOD'S WRATH OR ANGER
Because sin is the cause of all the suffering in the world, a
righteous God must ultimately bring about the destruction of all
that is sinful. Yet His great, unselfish love compelled Him to
provide a way for us to be set free from our sinful condition, so
that He could save us from this fate. He paid an enormous price,
the terrible suffering and the life of His Son. And those who
scorn His infinite sacrifice will eventually experience his
wrath.
He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him. (John 3:36, KJV)
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in
unrighteousness. (Romans 1:18, KJV)
Here again Mormons need to note that when the Bible talks about
those who reject the Son, this includes those who reject His
atonement on the cross as being good enough to pay the full price
necessary for the forgiveness of their personal sins. In
downgrading the atonement they are insulting both God's grace and
the sufficiency of Christ; and are effectively trampling on His shed
blood that ratified the New Covenant of grace and forgiveness of
sins.
GOD'S JUDGMENT OF HELL
Some people think that because God is loving, merciful and
compassionate He couldn't possibly send anyone to hell. But He
made a colossal sacrifice to provide the way for us to escape
this terrible fate; the life of His Son. So if we don't want
to accept His gracious gift of salvation from sin, we'll be
bringing the judgment of hell upon ourselves.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life ..... He that believeth on him is not condemned:
but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not
believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. (John 3:16,
18 KJV).
THE LIVING WORD OF GOD
Just as we use words to communicate, so at the right time God
communicated Himself to us through His living Word, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
..... [God] hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom
he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the
worlds (Hebrews 1:2, KJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
word was God ..... And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father) full of grace and truth (John 1:1,14. KJV)
Who being the brightness of his [God's] glory, and the express image
of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power
(Hebrews 1:3, KJV)
Who is the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15, KJV).
..... God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself ..... (2
Corinthians 5:19, KJV).
CHRIST'S DEITY WAS PROPHESIED
John 1:1 above teaches us that Christ, the Word, was God —
not a God, but God Himself. And many years before Christ's
birth, Isaiah prophesied that the promised Messiah would come as a
child, and that the child would be God incarnate:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6, KJV).
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:6-8, KJV)
CHRIST'S DISCIPLES BELIEVED HE WAS DEITY
When Christ appeared to His disciples after His resurrection,
Thomas said to Him, "..... my Lord and my God" (John 20:
28). Bear in mind that no Jew would ever take God's name in vain.
And during the very early days of the church when Stephen, the
first Christian martyr, was stoned to death, Christ's deity was so
real to him that his dying prayer was to Him:
And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice,
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. (Acts 7:59-60, KJV)
THE JEWS SAID THAT JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not;
but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest
thyself God. (John 10:33, KJV)
CHRIST HIMSELF CLAIMED DIVINITY
'I Am' was the name God (Elohim, not Jehovah) had used to
reveal Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14. So those words were sacred
to the Jews. They knew exactly what the Lord Jesus meant when He
applied them to Himself. For a man to claim to be God Himself was
blasphemy, and the punishment under Jewish law was death by stoning.
Yet Jesus consistently made that claim.
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham
was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid
himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of
them, and so passed by. (John 8:58-59, KJV)
He announced that He was the Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5). That
was a direct claim to deity. And he claimed, "I and my Father
are one" (John 10:30). He went on to declare that no one knew
the Father except Himself, and anyone to whom He willed to reveal
Him (Matthew 11:27). Yet again He was claiming equality with God.
Then there was the conversation between Jesus and His disciple,
Philip, who said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we
shall be satisfied." Jesus said to him:
Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest
thou then, Shew us the Father? (John 14:9, KJV)
Note that Christ wasn't merely claiming to be a God in His own
right. He was claiming to be the one and only true God. Christianity
is faith in the biblical Christ. If we can't accept the claims He
made in the Bible as being true, then our faith in Him is nothing
but a farce. But the Bible tells us that the Lord Jesus will always
be a stumbling block and a rock of offense to those who are
perishing:
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of
offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
(Romans 9:33, KJV).
THE TRINITY
The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit always work as a unit.
There's nothing done by the one, without all three being implicated.
Without any disrespect being meant, we may think of them as a Holy
Trio. They're utterly dependent upon one another in their performance
in much the same way as a musical trio. Although they each have their
own individual parts to play, they always interact as a unit, in
perfect harmony with one another.
Jesus only began His public ministry after the Holy Spirit had come
upon Him (Matthew 3:16). And He said that He could do nothing
without His Father (John 5:19).
THEY WERE EACH INVOLVED IN CREATION
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image,
according to our likeness" ..... And God created man in
His own image (Genesis 1:26, 27, KJV).
For by Him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are on earth (Colossians 1:16, KJV, c/f John 1:3, 10-11).
The Spirit of God hath made me ..... (Job 33:4, KJV).
THEY ARE EACH INVOLVED IN SALVATION
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew
28:19, KJV).
How much more will the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal
Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your
conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14,
KJV).
Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the
Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God
which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 2O:28, KJV)
THEY WERE EACH INVOLVED IN THE RESURRECTION
This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses (Acts
2:32, KJV)
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three
days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was
this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But
he spake of the temple of his body. (John 2:19-21, KJV).
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in
you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your
mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11, KJV)
THEY ARE EACH INVOLVED IN ETERNAL LIFE
Because water is essential to life, the Bible often uses it as a
picture or a type, both of eternal life and of the agent of eternal
life, the Holy Spirit. The following scriptures show us how the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit work together in the life-giving
process:
The Father is the origin, or the source of eternal life. He is the
fountain of living water. The Son is the intermediary, the pipeline
who supplies the living water. And the Holy Spirit is the living
water.
THE FATHER (THE ORIGIN OR SOURCE)
For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the
fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken
cisterns that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:13, KJV)
THE SON (THE PIPELINE, THE INTERMEDIARY)
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:14, KJV)
THE HOLY SPIRIT (THE AGENT)
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his
belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy
Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
(John 7:38-39, KJV)
THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD
The emphatic teaching of the Bible is that there is only one God.
Below is the English translation of Deuteronomy, with the original
Hebrew given in brackets after the relevant words:
The LORD (JHWH/Jehovah) our God (Elohim) is one (echad) LORD
(JHWH/Jehovah) (Deuteronomy 6:4).
The Hebrew word for God is 'Elohim', which is a plural word. Its
singular form is 'Eloha'. Furthermore, the word they have used for
'one' Lord (Jehovah) is 'echad', which is not a word used in the
singular sense. It denotes a compound unity, such as where a man and
his wife shall become 'one' flesh (Genesis 2:24). It can also mean a
union of more than two persons, i.e. 'the people gathered as one'
(Ezra 3:1). A different Hebrew word, 'yachidh' is used to convey
the idea of absolute, solitary oneness, e.g. a 'one and only' son
(Genesis 22:2, 12).
Because of the choice in the original Hebrew wording, Deuteronomy
6:4 conveys that the Godhead consists of more than one person,
bonded in unity. It also tells us that Elohim and Jehovah are one
and the same. If the writer of Deuteronomy 6:4 had intended to
convey the singular, solitary meaning to Deity, he would have
rendered this verse,"JHWH Elah yachidh JHWH". So we can
only conclude that he meant a compound unity.
From beginning to end, the Bible reveals God as an eternal,
compound unity of three Divine Persons; Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. Since the earliest days of the church, Christians have
used the term 'Trinity' to describe this unity.
THE MYSTERY OF THE TRIUNE GOD
It is impossible to comprehend anything beyond the scope of our own
knowledge or experience. That's why the triune God is such a mystery
to us.
The LDS maintains that the doctrine of the trinity was introduced
into the Christian church by either the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325
or the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381. However, they are wrong
in both cases. Neither of these councils introduced this doctrine.
They each merely "rubber stamped" the fact that the trinity
had been accepted as a biblical teaching by the church since its
inception. The writings of the early Christian Fathers during the
first and second centuries prove that the trinity had been an
established doctrine from the very earliest times.
Furthermore, most Mormons are unaware that for the first twelve
years of their existence the LDS church also worshipped the
trinitarian deity (see the article on the Mormon God). That's
why their Book of Mormon teaches the trinity and stresses that there
is only one God, who is a spirit being; thereby
contradicting Doctrine and Covenants and the Pearl of Great Price.
The God the LDS is presently worshipping, i.e. an exalted, redeemed
sinner with a body of flesh and bone, bears no resemblance whatsoever
to the God worshipped by the primitive church. This flies in the face
of their claim to be the true, restored church of Jesus Christ. And
regarding their contention that evil people had altered the Bible and
removed all the Mormon doctrines, the doctrine for the trinitarian
deity they worshipped for the first twelve years of their existence is
still in the Bible. It is LDS doctrines that have been changed, not
the Bible.
The following lead will take you to an article on the Mormon God:
The Mormon Gods, Past and Present
Copyright, 2007, by Mormonism and Biblical Truth. All rights reserved.
