This is an important question because it is important to get the definition right. A false idea about God ultimately leads to idolatry (if worshipped) or a straw man attack (if attacked).
The Biblical definition of God can only be described by God’s attributes, since God is Spirit (John 4:24). This tells us that God exists non-materially, that is, God is not made of matter. We can know certain things about God’s existence because, in God’s mercy, He has condescended to our level to reveal some of His attributes to us. The following are a list of God’s attributes, as revealed in God’s Word, the Bible:
- Eternal (Deuteronomy 33:27, Isaiah 40:28, Habakkuk 1:12, Romans 1:20, Revelation 1:8, 22:13)
- Creator (See this page for a TON of references)
- Righteous (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 119:137, Isaiah 45:21, John 17:25
- Just (Job 37:23, 2 Timothy 4:8, Revelation 15:3)
- Holy (Psalm 22:3, Isaiah 43:15, Isaiah 57:15, John 17:11, 1 Peter 1:16, Revelation 4:8)
- Omniscient (Psalm 147:5, Isaiah 40:28, Romans 11:33-36, 1 John 3:20)
- Omnipotent (Job 42:2, Psalm 147:5, Jeremiah 32:27, Isaiah 40:28, Matthew 19:26, Romans 1:20)
- Omnipresent (Psalm 139:7-10, Proverbs 15:3, Jeremiah 23:24)
- Sovereign over all Creation (Exodus 4:11, Isaiah 45:21, Isaiah 46:9-10, Daniel 4:34-35, Romans 11:33-36, Ephesians 1:11, Job 42:2)
- Cannot do anything outside His own nature (Numbers 23:19,
Hebrews 6:18, 1 Samuel 15:29 ) - Does not change (1 Samuel 15:29, Malachi 3:6, James 1:17)
- Cannot tempt us (James 1:13)
- Enables believers to resist evil (1 Corinthians 10:13)
It is also important to note that God exists as a trinity of persons.
rschristiansite.wordpress.com 
Strange you end with “It is also important to note that God exists as a trinity of persons.” going against all the Biblical sayings that there is only One True God, the God of Israel Who is the Only One true God of gods. For real lovers of Gdo there does not exist such a trinitarian god to be worshipped, because they shall only worship the God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus and his disciples.
LikeLike
First, thank you for taking the time to read my article! I’d like to take the time to respond to your comments and gather your thoughts from it.
The Doctrine trinity does not “go against all the Biblical saying that there is only One True God” as you have stated. In fact, within the Doctrine of the Trinity, we acknowledge that there is only one God that exists. Officially, the position is called “Trinitarian monotheism”. It is one God that exists as three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
EDIT: I updated the last sentence of my article, which seemed to cut off some of the text from my original site which was copied here. I also added a link to CARM, which gives a Scriptural defense of the Trinity.
LikeLike
Thanks for your reaction. I have read the thoughts of CARM, but comparing them to the texts of the Bible I find it a pity so many Christians do not come to see clear that Jesus is the sent one from God and at this moment our mediator between God and man, which he can nto bewhen he himself is God. Also trinitarians make a liar of their god, having god Himself saying that he never tells lies. Christians taking Jesus as the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God should know Jessu was not there when his frien Lazarus died, said he was not a spirit (though God is spirit) said he did not know when he himself would return to earth, said he did not know who would be seated next to him and said it was not given to him to tell who was allowed to be next to him though when he is God he has all that power which belongs to him and everything belongs to him). Jesus than also told a lie when he would give the Kingdom of God back to his heavenly Father, because when he is God it would already belong to him. The Bible also tells us than lies about Jesus sitting at the right hand of God, because when he is God he sits on his own place and not at his right or at his left, but at himself.
Also god is considered then not telling the truth in the trinitarian teachigns, because God tells us that he cannot be tempted and that man can do him nothing. Jesus was tempted more than once and was killed by man, though God can not die, so in case Jesus is God than he would have faked his death. what would God have to look for in hell for three days, because Jesus was in hell for three days according to the Bible?
Jesus his words and Bible words from God would be in contradiction with each other when Jesus is God, though him saying God is greater than him and the Bible telling us that God is, was and always shall be the Most High, though Jesus was lower than angels.
Not only does the trinitarian thinking makes of God a liar, it also makes a very cruel God of Him. Because God could have taken measures straight ahead at the Garden of Eden. For me it is clear He took straight ahead a measure, promising a saviour, a man who could proof man could keep God’s Wishes and commandments. In your way of thinking god coming down to earth so many millennia later and then faking his birth, temptation, death and resurrection He not proving anything to mankind, whilst in our true Christian way of thinking Jesus having been resurrected from the death, a man being the example of what can happen to all man. In your system no proof for mankind that a man can stand up from the dead, and even worse God misleading us because we are not yet feeling anything of the salvation and still have to suffer (already nearly 2000 years after him faking his death and telling us we are saved). All that charade does not make sense, whilst Jesus being who he said he was, a man of flesh and blood it all makes sense and opens the way to all the other promises we are waiting for and seeing to come into realisation (sings of the end-times).
I pray you too may come to see that Jesus is the Way to God and the means for salvation.
That the real God of Israel, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jesus, Jesus’ disciples and the God of the religious Jews and the real non-trinitarian Christians, may bless you and open your eyes, having to come to accept that Divine Creator and Father of all those of the tribe of Abraham, king David and Jesus and of all the goyim or gentiles who came to accept Jesus as their master teacher and saviour.
LikeLike
Thanks for your reply! There’s a lot of material to address here, so I’ll break it up into sections, all for your consideration.
Perhaps you can explain how Jesus being God precludes Him from becoming a mediator between us and God, according to the Trinitarian view? I would be interested in how you came to that conclusion. Keep in mind that in accordance to this view, Jesus is the mediator between man and God the Father, specifically.
According to this view, there is a distinction between the two natures of Jesus, that is, the human nature and the divine nature. Jesus possesses both natures simultaneously; the two do not mix and become a “third” nature. This is called the “hypostatic union”. What you have done is misrepresent this view, by equivocating on the two natures of Jesus, mixing them together as if they are of the same essence. When we read about Jesus not being there for Lazarus, not knowing when He would return, or the request about seating to His right hand, or the other things you mentioned, these are attributes of Jesus’ nature. They are not attributes of His divine nature. I’ve written an article that addresses the divine nature of Jesus, and the Scriptural support based on the words of Jesus throughout the New Testament. See https://rschristiansite.wordpress.com/2016/04/08/did-jesus-claim-to-be-god/.
As I recall, the Bible doesn’t say that Jesus was in hell for three days. The only reference I am aware of that might possibly support it is in 1 Peter 3:18-20; however, it’s too vague to support this view. The closest we could say is that Jesus went to sheol/hades, that is, the “realm of the dead”, which is prior to the events in Revelations 20:14, in which “death and hades will be thrown into the lake of fire.” Perhaps you could show me a verse in Scripture that would support it?
According to the trinitarian view, Jesus did not “fake his death” as you would suggest. Rather, death is only possible in the human nature of Jesus. As you correctly stated, God cannot die. Death is not a quality of divine beings. However, as a man, Jesus can die physically. The divine nature of Jesus lived on, and we see Him, as I mentioned earlier, ministering to the prisoners in sheol/hades.
When Jesus said “The Father is greater than I” in John 14:28, He was speaking in terms of position. The Father is in a greater position than that of the Father, much like my boss is in a higher position than I am. This does not mean of course that my boss is more human than I am, nor does it mean that I am not human because his position is higher than mine. The same is true within the three persons within the God-head. Though there is a hierarchical structure, it does not make each of them any less divine.
God is a righteous, holy, and just God. He cannot and will not pervert justice in order to make forgiveness of sins possible. You accuse God of being cruel, according to the trinitarian view; however, the lawbreaking of mankind cannot be ignored. Someone still has to pay for our crimes. That is what the cross is about.
I don’t understand where you get your support for saying that under this view, that God becoming a man automatically means that He faked his birth, temptations, death, and resurrection. It’s most likely yet another equivocation on the attributes of Jesus’ divine and human natures, as I’ve already addressed, above. Perhaps you could explain this, in light of a proper representation of this view?
In summary, what you have done is misrepresent the trinitarian view on the nature of Jesus and launched a strawman attack on the misrepresentation, rather than the actual view.
I look forward to your reply.
LikeLike
When Jesus is God he can not be a mediator between Himself and man, because that is not what “mediator” means. One can mediate or come up for some one else but not intervene for oneself. To mediate is related to act through something or someone and to interpose between parties as a connectant or friend between parties, but never between oneself. Jesus can only act as a medium between God and some one else when he himself is not God, like you cannot mediate for yourself or hold a mediate position for yourself. When mediating one has to hold a mediate position, to bring about, end, promote, obtain or communicate by friendly intervention, or by intercession or through an intervention, or bythrough an intermediary: to be the medium or intermediary; to transmit, convey or pass on.
You yourself contradict with at one point you yourself saying Jesus is mediator between God and man, like the Bible says and like I do believe. But you believing in Jesus to be God excludes that role of mediation.
When there is a distinction between the two natures of Jesus, there is even less similarity thanthe pagan tri-une gods which are considered to have all the same qualities and as such woudl have much more rigth to say they are monotheist religions, though it are just Christians like you (trinitarians) who would never consider such religions monotheist but say yours is a monotheist religion because God and Jesus have everything common. But know you point to differences in their nature and even weaknesses in the godhead Jesus, like him not being omniscient.
You compare Jesus position with man’s position at work. In the same line I would asks if one person is boss of the bank and knows that a crash is coming, but at the desk sells you some shares at the high price. Would you say he corrupted you and make you lose money? And when he gives as excuse: it was my servant, would you accept that and not say but you were also the boss? did you not think he would have lied and cheated on you.
When Jesus is God and knows everything, did he not cheat on mankind by saying he did not know all those things those people, which he was supposed to love, asked him?
This is contradiction to what you yourself say that “God is a righteous, holy, and just God. He cannot and will not pervert justice in order to make forgiveness of sins possible.” If God is a righteous, holy, and just God, what I am convinced that He is. He as you yourself say cannot and will not pervert justice in order to make forgiveness of sins possible, but then He also would not lie to others and would simply say it is Him who comes down on earth and that it is Him Who comes to bring salvation.
You do not seem to find it cruel when God is Jesus and waited than for so many thousands of years before coming onto the earth, and after He did something what He always said He cannot do, namely dying, because God is called to be eternal, i.e. without beginning (without birth), and without end (no death) and telling that man cannot see God and live (though many saw Jesus and continued to live), telling God cannot be tempted, though in the New testament is told Jesus was tempted many times (so is that than not again a lie?) and God telling that man can do Him nothing, but again the Bible telling us that Jesus was put to death at the stake (not a cross by the way).
It is true that the the lawbreaking of mankind cannot be ignored, but God could have handled straight ahead in the Garden of Eden and could have done away with Adam and Eve and crated new living beings who where going to keep to His commandments. god letting suffer all those who came after Adam and Eve for something they did not do does not seem very fair, would you not think? If your brother did something wrong, would you find it fair you are punished so severely like all mankind is punished for the fall of man? And when your other brother who is at the same time your father comes to tell you he is there to bring an end to it and let himself being ‘killed’ to bring salvation, but nothing changes and you still undergo every day the punishment, would you find that fair and justified? Would you find that you then have a loving father,though he continually remembers that though you did not do such a fault, that your other brother and sister did something wrong, so you have to be kept punished, even when your other brother which is at the same time your father asked forgiveness to your father and your father said that everything is alright now and the sins are forgiven. though he keeps punishing!
You say you “don’t understand where” I get my “support for saying that under this view, that God becoming a man automatically means that He faked his birth, temptations, death, and resurrection. ” But do you not see when the Bible which we consider the infallible Word of God says that God is eternal, that this means God has no birth and no death? In God His Word is also said that God can not be tempted.
You also seem to forget that the bible itself says that God is a spirit, a being without bones, flesh and blood, though Jesus clearly tells his disciples he is not a spirit. WHen he is god again he would have told a lie. Please also remember that God is a god of order and clarity, and all that around Jesus him so called being God though God not saying it is Him would not be something we could expect from the righteous honest person.
You write “In summary, what you have done is misrepresent the trinitarian view on the nature of Jesus and launched a strawman attack on the misrepresentation, rather than the actual view.
I look forward to your reply.”
I only looked at what you said previously and compared it to what I can read in the Bible. In what way I would have misrepresented the trinitarian view? I showed its flalesness and how the Chrsitian trinity even is worse than certain tri-union gods in pagan religgions, because there the other parts of the tri-une or even by the eight-une god the godhead keep all the characteristics of the first father or/and mother god, whilst in your system that godhead seems to have lost all the attributes of the father god.
I only can find that your teachings about a tri-une god is not in accordance to the Biblical teaching so I expressed my concerns, also by being aware how important it is to come to know Jesus and to believe him. It is a matter of my brotherly love for you,wanting you to come to know the high-priest God has given us and the mediator who now sits at the right hand of God (know also when Jesus is God he would now sit on God His throne and cannot sit at His right or His left, but is God Himself sitting on God’s place and would have done always His own will, though the bible again tells us that Jesus did not do his own Will but the Will of God.)
Strangely enough you consider Jesus being tempted and dying a equivocation on the attributes of Jesus’ divine and human natures, which would mean that you agree this would be a doubtful, suspicious and questionable action of God. (Chambers 20th century dictionary) would this mean that somehow your thinking mind can consider the reality and can analyse the facts given in the Bible and can eradicate the contradictions?
Please also do take following verses in consideration:
“Thou shalt not take the name of Jehovah thy God in vain; for Jehovah will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 ASV)
“For Jehovah your God, he is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the great God, the mighty, and the terrible, who regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward.” (Deuteronomy 10:17 ASV)
“The law of Jehovah is perfect, restoring the soul: The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the simple.” (Psalms 19:7 ASV)
“Oh taste and see that Jehovah is good: Blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him.” (Psalms 34:8 ASV)
“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard? The everlasting God, Jehovah, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary; there is no searching of his understanding.” (Isaiah 40:28 ASV)
“Jehovah is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means clear [the guilty]: Jehovah hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.” (Nahum 1:3 ASV)
“For I, Jehovah, change not; therefore ye, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed.” (Malachi 3:6 ASV)
“Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one:” (Mark 12:29 ASV)
“For David ascended not into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand,” (Acts 2:34 ASV)
“And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.” (Acts 21:14 ASV)
“Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, [there] is liberty.” (2 Corinthians 3:17 ASV)
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 ASV)
“And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they that are bidden to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are true words of God.” (Revelation 19:9 ASV)
“13 ¶ Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man: 14 but each man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.” (James 1:13-14 ASV)
LikeLike
Thank you for your response! I noticed that it’s a lot lengthier than the last response you gave! I’ll do my best to address all of it. Forgive me if I missed anything.
While I understand your response, that one cannot mediate between one’s own self and mankind (Jesus being God of course), that is not what trinitarians claim. We claim that Jesus is a mediator between mankind and the person of God the Father. This does not exclude the role of mediation, nor does it contradict what I have previously stated, as I did mention this in my initial response. What I said is “Keep in mind that in accordance to this view, Jesus is the mediator between man and God the Father, specifically.”
Regarding the pagans, OK so what? I do not see what this has to do with the present discussion.
Regarding position: The point that I was trying to make is that a hierarchy exists within the three persons of the Trinity, as an explanation for why Jesus said “the Father is greater than I”. In accordance to your scenario, as God, Jesus would have most certainly known all things. However, as a man, Jesus’ knowledge was limited. The reason why this is not a contradiction is because of context, in accordance to nature. It is NOT lying on Jesus’ part to claim to be God, yet, claim to have limited knowledge given the dual natures and given the context of attributes in accordance to each nature. It is also not contrary to my comments about God’s holiness, righteousness, and justice.
Perhaps you can explain to me about that being cruel? I’m clearly lost on that point. You are correct in saying that God cannot die as death is not an attribute of Divinity; however, given the dual natures of Jesus, it is only the human nature that can (and did) die.
Regarding your comments about the stake, are you a Jehovah’s Witness? It is this particular group that is adamant about Jesus being crucified on a stake. Personally, I do not care what Jesus was crucified on. What I care about is who Jesus is, and why He died.
You’re right, God could have done that, in fact, He almost did (according to Genesis 6); however, it was Noah who found favor with God, along with a promise from God to not destroy humanity by flood.
Well it’s certainly not fair; however, it is reality that so much suffering occurs because of the sins of other individuals. However, when it comes to justice, we can only be held accountable for our own lawbreaking. Does it seem fair that God allows it? I can see why one might think so. However, I recall the story of Joseph, at the final chapters of Genesis, who suffered much because of his brothers, as well as the Egyptian Potiphar, who threw Joseph in jail because of false accusations. What Joseph said in Genesis 50:20, to his own brothers, who sold him into slavery, had a huge impact on me. Here’s what Joseph said:
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”
This passage, along with Romans 5:3-5 and James 1:1-3 show me that while suffering is unfair, God allows it to bring about a greater good within us, to develop characteristics in us that cannot be developed any other way. Not that we SHOULD cause suffering on others, nor am I suggesting that! I have found the character development aspect to be true in my life in terms of suffering.
If my older brother did something wrong and I was willing to take his place, because I love Him, and the court, as well as the older brother accepted this, how is this unfair?
You equivocated on the term “suffering” in terms of justification before God (e.g; hell) and earthly suffering. The death of Christ justifies us before God the Father, for those who are willing to repent and trust in Jesus. This does not mean that we stop suffering here on earth. In fact, Jesus told us that we would experience hatred (Matthew 10:22, Mark 13:13, John 15:18) and persecution (Matthew 5:10, 5:44, Luke 6:22) on account of Jesus. We ought to expect to suffer for Christ’s sake.
Did you not read anything I wrote about the trinitarian view? I already corrected you on your understanding of the trinitarian view, yet you continue to misrepresent me, to make points about God faking His birth and death, or that I have somehow forgotten about the attributes of God. That doesn’t make any sense to me.
You write “ In what way I would have misrepresented the trinitarian view?” Yet, almost my entire initial response was a demonstration of how you misrepresented the trinitarian view, given your attacks.
I understand your concern for me, and appreciate your responding to me! It is of course important that we get this stuff right, and compare everything against the Scriptures, to see if what is said is so, just like the Bereans did in Acts 17. In that, we are in agreement.
The reason why I said it was an equivocation is because, given the trinitarian view, it IS an equivocation. Perhaps it is not, given YOUR view of Jesus, and God; however, given THIS view, it is. That is all that I was saying.
I’m not sure why you are bringing up these passages. They are quire easily reconcilable, given the trinitarian view. Much of it was already addressed in my initial response.
I look forward to your reply.
LikeLike
You also say ” trinitarians claim. We claim that Jesus is a mediator between mankind and the person of God the Father.” but to be a mediator one has to be an other person than the one some one wants to speak to or has a problem with.
Jesus can not be a mediator between himself and others, the same as you cannot be a mediator for some one else to yourself.
LikeLike
Hey there! So you quoted me as saying “We claim that Jesus is a mediator between mankind and the person of God the Father” and then you say “Jesus cannot be a mediator between himself and others”. Look, I don’t mind having a discussion with you about the Trinity; however, I get a bit frustrated when you continue to misrepresent my position. I made it abundantly clear that Jesus is not a “mediator between Himself and others” and the fact that you keep bringing that up shows me that you’re not taking the time to get my side right. I’m not so sure if I really want to continue dialoguing with you when you continue to misrepresent me.
LikeLike
When Jesus is God and he would be a mediator between God and man than he would be a mediator between himself and man. It is you who says that Jesus is God, not I, and I accept it that Jesus is the mediator between God and man.
LikeLike
concerning Jesus being three days in hell which is written in the bible is also made clear by you seeming to understand it right. The hell or sheol/hades is, the “realm of the dead”, which is simply the grave or sepulchre and no place of torture like so many christians want to believe.
LikeLike
I do not accuse God of being cruel but according to the trinitarian view he must be. I do agree with your saying that “the lawbreaking of mankind cannot be ignored” but like any good father or parent would do, is only to punish the wrong doers and leave the ones in peace who have nothing to do with the wrong doing. You rightly say that “Someone still has to pay for our crimes”. But that is not God but the son of God who has taken this up on him. =====>>>> That is what the cross is about. <
LikeLike
When Jesus would be God than he would still have all attributes of God. As such he would be eternal, would not be able to be tempted, could not be seen by man, could not be done any harm by man and as such could not be killed. We are told God does not tell lies and we are also told that Jesus was without sin, which also would mean that Jesus did not tell lies. God is omniscient and does know everything, though Jesus did not know a lot of things and even did not know when he himself would come back or who would be seated next to him. Jesus also clearly told the people it was not him doing the miracles but his heavenly Father, who is greater than himself (Jesus).
If god would have come to earth He has a Supreme Being to whom man can do nothing and Who cannot be tempted would have told lies letting us to believe that he as Jesus was been tempted. God not able to die when Jesus was brought to death at the stake, would have done if he died because God cannot die. But this would also be in contradiction with Scripture, because we are told that God is Spirit whilst Jesus clearly expressed that he is no spirit and in the Bible is also written Jesus had bones, flesh and blood, all things God does not have.
I do not represent the nature of Christ, because I accept hat what is written in the Bible that he is a son of man with flesh and blood and bones, and that he is a being that can be tempted and be killed, and that he had the same fears like we do have but had more trust in god than most people do. That is just what it is all about to trust God and to believe in Him in the same way we should believe in Christ and in Jesus his heavenly Father the Only One God, the God of Abraham, who is also the God of Jesus Christ and his disciples.
LikeLike
Dear Tasty Wallet, you write “The Biblical definition of God can only be described by God’s attributes, since God is Spirit (John 4:24). ” which means you accept the Biblical writing God is a spirit. But when you look at the figure of Jesus you can not deny he was a man seen by many, though nobody can see God and survive. Jesus not only said God is greater than him but also said he is no spirit. The Bible also shows us Jesus is but a man of flesh and blood and bones. In case Jesus is God he would be as great as God Himself and would also be a spirit and then he also would know everything though he said about several things that he did not know it and that it was only given to God to know such things, which also indicates he is not God, because than he would have known such things and would have said so because we are also told God does not tell lies, plus we are also told that Jesus was without sin which means that Jesus also did not tell lies.
LikeLike
Hey Belgian Biblestudents! Thanks for taking the time to read my article! You might want to consider reading my article specifically on the person of Jesus. This addresses the things you are saying.
I also wrote a lengthy response to Marcus Ampe, who commented on this page. He had similar concerns that you did.
LikeLike
Pleased to have a view of your articles and insights.
We’ll look at that mentioned page and Mr. Ampe his comments.
LikeLike