This post is part of a series called “Paul and the Old Testament”. St. Paul the Apostle is often accused – whether by atheists, Muslims, Jewish Rabbis, Judaizing “churches”, or others – of contradicting what the books of the Old Testament teach and introducing new doctrines. These posts are here to show that the Christianity of St. Paul is the exact same faith that the Old Testament Saints believed in – one topic at a time.
The topic of this post is whether God as revealed to the Prophets is more than one person. This ties into the doctrine of the Trinity, and is naturally a hotly debated topic that apologists more learned than I have touched in more detail. I should point you to “The Two Powers in Heaven” lecture by Dr. Michael Heiser (YouTube | drmsh.com) as a starting point for more academic looks at this topic. However this article will mostly just list verses that show that the New Testament doctrine of a multi-personal God is not only consistent with the Old Testament, but more or less outright taught in it.
What St. Paul Said:
Christ Jesus Shares His Divinitity With The One God
- “In him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2.9 KJV)
- “To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever” (Romans 9.5 ESV)
- “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (…) For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved‘” (Romans 10.9, 13 ESV) (c.f. Joel 2.32, which is what Paul quotes from, which uses the Divine Name for “the Lord”)
- “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ“ (Titus 2.13 KJV)
- “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’ And, ‘You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.’” (Hebrews 1.8-12 ESV, c.f. Psalm 45.6-7 and 102:25-27, which is what he’s quoting from) – whether Paul wrote Hebrews is debated, but I’m listing it here anyways.
- “By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist” (Colossians 1.16-17 KJV) (c.f. Romans 11.36 and Hebrews 1.2; c.f. also Isaiah 44.24 which says God created everything alone)
The Holy Spirit (Ghost) Is A Person Who Is Also God
- “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (II Corinthians 3.17 KJV)
- “He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (Romans 8.27 KJV)
- “All these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will“ (I Corinthians 12.11 KJV)
- “These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (I Corinthians 2.10-11 ESV)
What the OT Saints Said:
General Multi-Personality:
- “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions” (Psalm 45.6-7 ESV)
- “I am he; I am the first, I also am the last (…) Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me“ (Isaiah 48.12, 16 KJV)
An “Angel of the Lord” Indentified as Also Being the Lord
- “The angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child (…) And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16.11, 13 KJV)
- “The angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ He said, ‘Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.’” (Genesis 22.11-12 ESV)
- “And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying (…) I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me” (Genesis 31.11, 13 KJV)
- “And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush (…) he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3.2, 6 KJV)
- “I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him“ (Exodus 23.20-21 KJV)
- “An angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt” (Judges 2.1 KJV)
- “But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. And Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God“ (Judges 13.21-22 KJV)
Prophecy of a Divine Messiah
- “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)
- “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting“ (Micah 5.2 KJV)
- “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed“ (Daniel 7.13-14 ESV) (note that Jesus applies this prophecy to himself in Matthew 26.64) (c.f. “There is none like God, O Jeshurun, who rides through the heavens to your help” (Deuteronomy 33.26 ESV); c.f. also Psalm 68.32-33, 104.3, Isaiah 19.1)
Personality of the Holy Spirit/Ghost
- “But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63.10 ESV)
- “The Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD” (Ezekiel 11.5 KJV)
Short verse to keep in mind: “there is none like unto thee, O LORD” (Jeremiah 10.6 KJV). Keep this in mind when God’s attributes are applied to Jesus Christ in scripture.
Nikaea 325 