(COGwriter directed ChatGpt illustration)
Various scriptures say God is one (e.g. Galatians 3:20b)?
How is God one?
Some say one trinity.
In the Continuing Church of God, like the Philadelphian era in the 20th century also did, we teach that God is one family, now consisting of the Father and the Son. Father and Son denote a family relationship.
And the Bible shows that Christians are to be one and part of that one family:
20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; 21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: (John 17:20-22)
Christians are to be one with the Father and Son, as they are one!
Notice that Jesus taught two can be one:
4 And He answered and said to them, “Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning ‘made them male and female,’ 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:4-6)
Married people become one family.
That is essentially the binitarian view of the Godhead. Like a husband and wife are two separate people, but one family that can have offspring, the Father and Son are one family that can have offspring who will become part of the God family.
Both the Old and New Testaments teach that God considers married couples to be one (Malachi 2:14-15; Mark 10:8). And that God wants Godly offspring (Malachi 2:15), which the New Testament refers to as brethren Romans 8:29)—that is a family relationship—that is how God is one.
God calls us to be in His family:
18 ‘I will be a Father to you, And you shall be My sons and daughters, Says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Corinthians 6:18)
More will be added to the Godhead family (the truly converted) after the first resurrection as the brethren of Jesus:
9 Jesus … 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, (Hebrews 2:9-11, NJKV, OSB)
Yes, those who are converted are to be Jesus’ brethren in the family of God as one.
This is also consistent with what Irenaeus of Lyon wrote in the 2nd century:
For it was for this end that the Word of God was made man, and He who was the Son of God became the Son of man, that man, having been taken into the Word, and receiving the adoption, might become the son of God. For by no other means could we have attained to incorruptibility and immortality, unless we had been united to incorruptibility and immortality. (Irenaeus. Against Heresies. Book III, Chapter 19. Translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885)
Teacher, the Word of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who did, through His transcendent love, become what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself. (Book V, Preface.)
In the late second century, Church of God leader Theophilus of Antioch wrote:
The God and Father, indeed, of all cannot be contained, … the Word of God, who is also His Son … the first-born of all creation … The Word, then, being God, and being naturally produced from God, whenever the Father of the universe wills, He sends Him to any place. (Book 2, Chapter 22)
if I call Him Wisdom, I speak of His offspring (Theophilus of Antioch. To Autolycus, Book 1, Chapter 3)
For the sun is a type of God, and the moon of man. And as the sun far surpasses the moon in power and glory, so far does God surpass man. And as the sun remains ever full, never becoming less, so does God always abide perfect, being full of all power, and understanding, and wisdom, and immortality, and all good. But the moon wanes monthly, and in a manner dies, being a type of man; then it is born again, and is crescent, for a pattern of the future resurrection.
In like manner also the three days which were before the luminaries, are types of the three of God {Note: trinity is NOT a translation of the Greek here}, and His Word, and His wisdom. And the fourth is the type of man, who needs light, that so there may be God, the Word, wisdom, man. (Book 2, Chapter 15)
Christians are to be born in God’s family at the resurrection!
Augustine of Hippo wrote the following in the 5th century:
The whole family of God, most high and most true, has therefore a consolation of its own — a consolation which cannot deceive, and which has in it a surer hope than the tottering and falling affairs of earth can afford. (Augustine. The City of God, Book 1, Chapter 29. Translated by Marcus Dods. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887)
Even though the Greco-Roman Catholics did not fully grasp it, a family understanding of the Godhead is not a new idea.
God is a family currently consisting of the Father and the Son:
14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height — 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19).
If one is filled with “all the fullness of God” does not that suggest that they will be also God as part of the Family of God?
Hence, God’s family is not limited to a closed trinity and will have others added to it. The Bible refers to those who will part of it as brethren–that is also a family relationship! God’s people will become filled with all the fullness of God when deified at the first resurrection.
Notice also the following from the 20th century Church of God sources:
God is a family.
More accurately, “God” is the family name of the eternally creating class of beings who have designed, are sustaining and will forever rule all reality — spiritual and physical reality, known and unknown reality, reality that does exist and reality that does not yet exist. That’s what we are heir to. The family of God! Everything! Forever!
The concept that God is a family is as bold as it is thrilling. It is almost a “revolution.”
To state that God is a family seems like outright heresy compared to the twisted maze of pagan doctrines which have established themselves as the respectable religious systems of this world. Nevertheless, it is true — God is a family. Because, as incredible as it appears to our materialistically hardened eyes, the Bible explicitly teaches that God is a family — and that the purpose of every human life is to join that “very family circle of God” (Rom. 8:15, Phillips).
The God family can and will comprise an almost infinite number of individual distinct sons. Ephesians 3:14-15 proclaims that the whole family in heaven and earth is named after God the Father. Or, in other words, the whole family is named the God family.
At the present time today — there are only two beings in the God family: 1) God the Father — the Possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:19; Isa. 66:1; John 5:19) — the Father of Jesus Christ. 2) The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob — the active Creator of heaven and earth — the One who became Jesus Christ. …
We are joint heirs with Christ, and as a result, we will be glorified together with Him (Rom. 8:17). (Kuhn R. The God Family. Good News, April 1974)
God is a family of persons, that is the governor, the ruler of the entire world. …
Now, the word for God is, in the Hebrew which back there, as Moses wrote it, and the word is ‘Elohim’. And ‘Elohim’ is a uniplural word that means more than one person. It is a kingdom of persons. You read in the New Testament, in John the first chapter and the first verse, and there you read;
“In the beginning was the Word [now, we read later that all things were made by Him. But also we read in John the first chapter and the first few verses that]…the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Now, how could the Word be with God and also be God? There are two different persons altogether. When Jesus was on earth, He prayed to the Father in heaven. There was a family relationship. He called Him the Father. …
He was begotten of the Father and the only begotten Son. He didn’t begat Himself. (Armstrong HW. Requirements for God’s Kingdom. Radio broadcast June 26, 1979)
For God’s ultimate supreme purpose of reproducing himself–of recreating himself, as it were, by the supreme objective of creating the righteous divine character ultimately in millions unnumbered begotten and born children who shall become God beings, members of the God family. …
Once this perfect and righteous character is instilled in man, and man converted from mortal flesh to immortal spirit, then is to come the INCREDIBLE HUMAN POTENTIAL–man being BORN INTO the divine FAMILY of God, restoring the government of God to the earth, and then participating in the completion of the CREATION over the entire endless expanse of the UNIVERSE! … God shall have reproduced HIMSELF untold millions of times over! So, on the sixth day of that re-creation week, God (Elohim) said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). … He was given a spirit (essence in form) to make the relationship possible. (Armstrong HW. Mystery of the Ages. Dodd Mead, 1985, pp. 102-103)
Now he didn’t make mother Eve out of the dust of the ground. He made mother Eve from Adam.
And now those two united and became one — but not one person — one family. God is one — but not one person. God is two persons – God and the Word, but God is one family — because God is a family and not a person. And God is a family that’s composed of — it starts with now two persons.
But God made man so that man could be begotten of Him, and if God’s Spirit entered into man with that spirit, just like the woman combined with the man to make the man whole and complete so he could reproduce and have children, now man could be reproduced and become God– if the Spirit of God came into him, and that would be the mind of God and some of the powers of God. The power of God’s love, of God’s faith, of God’s power, and many of the great attributes of God. (Armstrong HW. Back to the Beginning, God and the Word. Sermon: September 22, 1984)
Is God a Trinity or a family? …
There is only one God family, yet there are presently two members, and in the future there will be many more. Jesus was called “the firstborn of many brethren” (Rom. 8:29).
Look at yourself. Whether married or single, you are part of a family. You have parents and maybe even children or grandchildren of your own. Yet, you are still one family. It was God who created man and put him on the earth.
He created marriage and the family relationship as a type of His divine family. …
God is a family. There presently are two members in that God family, God the Father — the Head of the family, the Lawgiver — and Jesus Christ the Son — the Spokesman, the Creator. But the word Elohim is not just dual. There is a dual number in Hebrew, but this would have to be Elohaim. The God family, however, is destined to be truly plural — to have many members. And this is what the word Elohim describes and allows for.
Belief in a Trinity clouds the real purpose that God has in store for mankind. If we are taught that God is a closed Trinity of three persons, we lose sight of the fact that God’s real purpose is to create many more members of the God family. …
The Apostle John understood God’s plans for mankind. Notice what he wrote in I John 3:1:
“Behold, what manner of love the Father [here is the family relationship — not a closed trinity] hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we [already] the [begotten] sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” …
It is clearly God’s plan to bring many sons into His family. “For it became him [God the Father], for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation [Jesus Christ] perfect through sufferings” (Heb. 2:10). …
Satan wants you to think that God is a limited Trinity — not a growing family or Kingdom into which we may, through the grace of God, enter. (Johnson G. Is God a Trinity? WCG booklet, 1979)
Before going further, consider that the terms trinity, threeness, or trinitarian are not found in the Bible.
Now consider the following that Jesus Himself taught:
27 All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. (Matthew 11:27)
Note that only the Father and Son know each other (other than those who Jesus reveals)–which shows, for example, that the Holy Spirit, which was not mentioned by Jesus, does NOT of itself know.
Therefore, it should be clear that according to Jesus’ words, obviously the Holy Spirit is NOT a co-equal member of a Greco-Roman trinity. Jesus’ words are consistent with the binitarian view of the Godhead.
God is ONE family.
If Protestants really believed in sola Scriptura and Greco-Roman Catholics accepted the original faith, none of them would be trinitarians.
And although it is shocking to some, the early faithful clearly held what has been called a binitarian or semi-Arian view of the Godhead.
Those interested in studying this doctrine in more detail, should consider looking at the following documented items:
Did the Trinity Come from Scripture or Councils of Men? How is God one? One family or one trinity? Did the trinity come from the Bible, tradition, or councils of men? Were there many non-trinitarian councils?
Binitarian View: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning Is binitarianism the correct position? What about unitarianism or trinitarianism?
Who Gave the World the Bible? The Canon: Why do we have the books we now do in the Bible? Is the Bible complete? Are there lost gospels? What about the Apocrypha? Is the Septuagint better than the Masoretic text? What about the Textus Receptus vs. Nestle Alland? Was the New Testament written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Which translations are based upon the best ancient text? Did the true Church of God have the canon from the beginning? Here are links to related sermons: Let’s Talk About the Bible, The Books of the Old Testament, The Septuagint and its Apocrypha, Masoretic Text of the Old Testament, and Lost Books of the Bible, and Let’s Talk About the New Testament, The New Testament Canon From the Beginning, English Versions of the Bible and How Did We Get Them?, What was the Original Language of the New Testament?, Original Order of the Books of the Bible, and Who Gave the World the Bible? Who Had the Chain of Custody?
Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church: Could a remnant group have continuing apostolic succession? Did the original “catholic church” have doctrines held by the Continuing Church of God? Did Church of God leaders uses the term “catholic church” to ever describe the church they were part of? Here are links to related sermons: Original Catholic Church of God?, Original Catholic Doctrine: Creed, Liturgy, Baptism, Passover, What Type of Catholic was Polycarp of Smyrna?, Tradition, Holy Days, Salvation, Dress, & Celibacy, Early Heresies and Heretics, Doctrines: 3 Days, Abortion, Ecumenism, Meats, Tithes, Crosses, Destiny, and more, Saturday or Sunday?, The Godhead, Apostolic Laying on of Hands Succession, Church in the Wilderness Apostolic Succession List, Holy Mother Church and Heresies, and Lying Wonders and Original Beliefs. Here is a link to that book in the Spanish language: Creencias de la iglesia Católica original.
Hope of Salvation: How the Continuing Church of God Differs from Protestantism The CCOG is NOT Protestant. This free online book explains how the real Church of God differs from mainstream/traditional Protestants. Several sermons related to the free book are also available: Protestant, Baptist, and CCOG History; The First Protestant, God’s Command, Grace, & Character; The New Testament, Martin Luther, and the Canon; Eucharist, Passover, and Easter; Views of Jews, Lost Tribes, Warfare, & Baptism; Scripture vs. Tradition, Sabbath vs. Sunday; Church Services, Sunday, Heaven, and God’s Plan; Seventh Day Baptists/Adventists/Messianics: Protestant or COG?; Millennial Kingdom of God and God’s Plan of Salvation; Crosses, Trees, Tithes, and Unclean Meats; The Godhead and the Trinity; Fleeing or Rapture?; and Ecumenism, Rome, and CCOG Differences.
Proof Jesus is the Messiah This free book has over 200 Hebrew prophecies were fulfilled by Jesus. Plus, His arrival was consistent with specific prophecies and even Jewish interpretations of prophecy. Here are links to seven related sermons: Proof Jesus is the Messiah, Prophecies of Jesus’ birth, timing, and death, Jesus’ prophesied divinity, 200+ OT prophecies Jesus filled; Plus prophecies He made, Why Don’t Jews Accept Jesus?, Daniel 9, Jews, and Jesus, and Facts and Atheists’ Delusions About Jesus. Plus the links to two sermonettes: Luke’s census: Any historical evidence? and Muslims believe Jesus is the Messiah, but … These videos cover nearly all of the book, plus have some information not in the book.
Did Early Christians Think the Holy Spirit Was A Separate Person in a Trinity? Or did they have a different view?
What is the Holy Spirit? This is an article by Rod Reynolds.
Did the True Church Ever Teach a Trinity? Most act like this is so, but is it? For a related sermon, watch: Trinity: Fundamental to Christianity or Something Else? Here is an old, by somewhat related, article in the Spanish language LA DOCTRINA DE LA TRINIDAD. A brief video is also available: Three trinitarian scriptures?
Was Unitarianism the Teaching of the Bible or Early Church? Many, including Jehovah’s Witnesses, claim it was, but was it?
Binitarianism: One God, Two Beings Before the Beginning This is a longer article than the Binitarian View article, and has a little more information on binitarianism, and less about unitarianism. A related sermon is also available: Binitarian view of the Godhead.
Where is the True Christian Church Today? This free online pdf booklet answers that question and includes 18 proofs, clues, and signs to identify the true vs. false Christian church. Plus 7 proofs, clues, and signs to help identify Laodicean churches. A related sermon is also available: Where is the True Christian Church? Here is a link to the booklet in the Spanish language: ¿Dónde está la verdadera Iglesia cristiana de hoy?
Continuing History of the Church of God This pdf booklet is a historical overview of the true Church of God and some of its main opponents from Acts 2 to the 21st century. Related sermon links include Continuing History of the Church of God: c. 31 to c. 300 A.D. and Continuing History of the Church of God: 4th-16th Centuries and Continuing History of the Church of God: 17th-20th Centuries. The booklet is available in Spanish: Continuación de la Historia de la Iglesia de Dios, German: Kontinuierliche Geschichte der Kirche Gottes, French: L Histoire Continue de l Église de Dieu and Ekegusii Omogano Bw’ekanisa Ya Nyasae Egendererete.
Valentinus: The Gnostic Trinitarian Heretic He apparently was the first Christ-professing heretic to come up with the idea of three hypostases.
What is Your Destiny? Deification? Did the Early Church Teach That Christians Would Become God? What is your ultimate destiny? What does the Bible teach? Is deification only a weird or cultic idea? Are you to rule the universe? Here is a link to the video sermon What is Your Destiny?
Mysteries of God. What is God? This free e-book answers many questions, such as is God omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent? Does the Godhead consist of a closed trinity or an expanding family? Here are links to related sermons: Mysteries: Is God Omnipotent, Omnipresent, and Omniscient? and Where Did God Come From? What Does God Look Like? and How is God One? Creeds? and Jesus and Trinitarian Mythology and Mysteries: The Holy Spirit and God’s Names and Kingdom and Mysteries of the Gospel and Deification.