The Simple Answers… To Life’s Most Important Questions.
Bible Study Course Lesson 2 – 8
Did you know there are three beginnings mentioned in the Bible? There is the one that everyone is familiar with, Genesis 1. Then there is one largely unknown, in Job 38:4-7, which describes the original creation of the Earth. But then there is another one most people should know, but seem to ignore – the REAL beginning – in John 1. This is the BEGINNING. Before the Earth, before the angels, before the heavens – in THAT beginning, what do we find existing? Read John 1:1-3.
Now that might seem confusing at first, but only because you’re instinctively trying to interpret it in light of an error you’ve believed; it says quite simply that in the beginning was the WORD. The “word” here is from the Greek logos, meaning “spokesman”. Later in this chapter (John 1:14) we see that this Logos was the Being who became Jesus! So in the beginning Logos – Jesus – already existed. And the Logos was WITH God – that means there was ANOTHER God whom Jesus was WITH. Not the same God! But a separate, distinct God with whom Jesus existed.
Then, just after saying the Logos was WITH God, it then says that it WAS God. Which is it? Was the Logos WITH God or WAS He God? Is this a contradiction? Or is this some incomprehensible thing beyond our grasp? Many preachers would tell you it is.
ELOHIM
But the answer is really very, very simple and doesn’t take any brain-stretching at all. Read Genesis 1:26. Notice God said let US make man in OUR image. That means there were at least two DISTINCT Gods present. If it had been one God, or one God in three persons who are actually one, then He would have said “Let ME make man in MY image”. But He clearly said let US make man in OUR image. In this verse the word “God” is translated from the inspired Hebrew elohim. This Hebrew word is composed of two parts, el and ohim. The first part, el can be used alone and is usually simply translated “God”, as it was in Genesis 14:18.
Notice there that Melchizedek, the Logos, the Being who later became Jesus Christ, was a priest of the “Most High God”. Now in the Hebrew, that literally says Melchizedek was the “priest of the Most High El”. So the Logos was not El! The Logos was El’s priest! We know from Hebrews 8:1 that this same Melchizedek today sits on the right hand of “the Majesty in the heavens” – who must be the same “Most High El”. But who is that? Hebrews 9:24. And exactly who is that “God”? Who is this El that Jesus appears before? Matthew 10:32.
It is plain then that in Hebrew, the proper name for the Father is El. But the other half of that word from Genesis 1, el-ohim, signifies a PLURALITY in Hebrew; so while El means the person who is the Father, elohim means the persons who are the Fathers; which sounds strange until you realize it is… THE LAST NAME OF GOD
Like Elohim, the English surname Johnson is two parts; literally, it means “son of John”. But think about the first John, the original John, from whom all Johnsons are named; his full name was simply John. His son was called “Bill, John’s son”; which contracts to Bill Johnson. Collectively, all his children and their children are called “the Johnsons” which is a plural of John! But the original John doesn’t need a last name because he was absolutely unique!
In the same way, there is only one of the Father – in Hebrew, He is called El. There is no reason to have a last name, because He is the Most High El. Everyone knows who that is. But when He has a SON, the Son has His own unique name followed by the name of His Father! In the OT, the son’s name was Yahweh (opinions vary about spelling and pronunciation); and to show what family He belongs to, He carries a LAST NAME too – so His full name would be, in English, “Yahweh, of the Els”, or “Yahweh Elson”.
The Bible often translates that name as the title “the LORD God”, but this is translated from the Hebrew “Yahweh Elohim” – which translates best as “Yahweh of the family of El”! Interestingly the name Melchizedek in Hebrew literally means “My King is the Righteous One”. Who is that? Mark 10:18. So the name Melchizedek means pretty much the same thing as Yahweh Elohim – that He belongs to the Kingdom of God! The family of El! Because you see, ALL the people of God are named after the Father! Read Ephesians 3:14-15.
ALL the FAMILY of God are named AFTER THE FATHER. And the Father’s name is El, so all of God’s family are named ELOHIM – the Els! In English the name simply means “the Gods”! Now turn back to John 1:1, where we are introduced to the members of that Family who existed before this creation began; the Father and the Logos. Now that we have merged it with the other scriptures, it simply means “in the beginning Jesus already existed, and Jesus was with the Father, and Jesus was an Elohim.”
John 1:3 says this Logos made ALL THINGS. We know the Logos is the same being as Jesus, because Ephesians 3:9 says that Jesus created all things – and since Genesis 2:4 said Yahweh Elohim did all the creating, Jesus must be Yahweh Elohim as well! Elohim literally means “the family of God”. And El, the Father, is the head of that family, and everyone who “lives under His roof” is honored to carry the new name “Elohim”. This is almost certainly what is meant in Revelation 3:12.
This explains odd verses like Psalms 82:6. God addresses wayward angels as Elohim here because, as He says, “all of you are children of the Most High”! And as children of God’s family, they bear God’s name! Nevertheless, just because God calls them children doesn’t mean they can’t sin and be destroyed like men! (Psalms 82:1, 7).
FAMILY OF GOD
If anyone ever stopped to ask the Bible, they’d never have had the first problem understanding this. Do a man and woman become one literal being? Genesis 2:24. Did all of Israel have one literal heart? 1 Chronicles 12:38. Did God give Judah one heart? 2 Chronicles 30:12. And what did that “one heart” help them do? (Same verse). Was all Israel “one man”? Ezra 3:1. Did God give them one heart? Jeremiah 32:38-39. Why? (Same verse). Was Jesus one with His Father? John 10:30. When you follow God, are you ALSO one with the Father? 1 Corinthians 6:17.
How is that possible? 1 Corinthians 12:12-14. Your body has ten toes, ten fingers, two eyes, thousands of strands of hair. And yet ALL THESE PARTS ARE ONE. They all go where the others go, they all agree with one another, they all are united in purpose and attitude! There is ONE true church; it is spread around the world, and its members may not even know one another, but there is ONE CHURCH, and that church has MANY MEMBERS. But these members all have one thing in common: they all serve God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love their neighbor as themselves.
And so they are ALL ONE in purpose, all part of ONE divine organization (Philippians 1:27). And what organization is that? The organization of the ELOHIM! They are all a part of ONE FAMILY, the FAMILY OF GOD! But there’s more to learn in Ephesians 3:14-15, so read it again. The whole family in heaven AND ON EARTH are named after the Father! Meaning that right now, PART of God’s family is in heaven (Jesus and the Father)… but PART of the family is on Earth! Part of the Elohim is HERE today – part of that family is YOU AND ME, those “to whom the word of God came” (John 10:34-35)!
This is why God said “you are Gods <Elohim>, and all of you are children of the Most High”! (Psalms 82:6). Obviously, not because we are mature Gods, powerful and fearsome! But because we are unborn sons in God’s Family! And whether God divinely created you, as angels or Adam (Luke 3:38, Job 38:7), or the Word of God entered your heart and converted you (1 Peter 1:22-23), you’re now part of His family, and entitled to call Him “Abba” and to carry His last name of Elohim! (Romans 8:15).
There are at this time only two adult members of this family – Jesus and the Father. Each of these members are clearly distinct from one another as you see in Revelation 5:6-7. There, one Elohim – Jesus, the Lamb – is taking the book from another Elohim on the throne – the Father. But doesn’t the Bible say there is only one God? Yes!
ONE GODS
Lesson 2–6 defined a “God”, an adult member of the family of God in heaven. The Bible seems very clear that there is only one of them: Deuteronomy 6:4. This verse, ripped out of the Bible and put on a billboard, does seem to settle the question. But that’s not how I’ve taught you to study the Bible, is it? A nearly identical verse is 1 Corinthians 8:4. Once again, ripped out of context that seems to be conclusive but if you keep reading Paul modifies this statement! Corinthians 8:5-6. See, here Paul clarifies that there is one God the Father, AND one Lord Jesus Christ!
So is God one, or one AND one? Most people, at this point, just stop thinking and say, “it’s unknowable and incomprehensible, they are both one and not one”. As I’ve said so many times, HOW DO THEY KNOW? Why not just ask God what He meant, before saying it can’t be understood? As you read in the last lesson, if Jesus and His Father being “one” proves the trinity, then it is impossible for YOU to be one with them in that same way! Right? So now read John 17:20-23. Read it carefully.
Try to forget what you’ve heard and read it for what it says. It says Jesus and His Father are one. Jesus then asks His Father for US to be one WITH THEM as well! And then Jesus says that the SAME glory which God has given Jesus, He will give us! (Verse 22). Why? “That they may be one EVEN AS WE ARE ONE”! But it gets even better – or more blasphemous, depending on whether or not you think the words of Christ blasphemy! For Jesus asked God to make us PERFECT IN ONE! (John 17:23).
Jesus asked His Father to make us a perfect part of the oneness of God, just as Jesus is a perfect part of the oneness of God! Because Jesus was asking the Father to make us a part of the ONE TRUE
ELOHIM FAMILY!
The family He had always been a part of, He asked the Father to let us join! (John 1:2). That’s what verses like Hebrews 2:10-11 mean; “he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one [elohim family]”. This verse literally says we are ONE with Him who sanctified us – Jesus! BBE does a good job with this verse “For he who makes holy and those who are made holy are all of one family; and for this reason it is no shame for him to give them the name of brothers”. With this background, it’s time to revisit 1 Corinthians 8:4-6.
This does not contradict the earlier scriptures and say there is only ONE God! It says there is only one true God FAMILY. Only one true Elohim! (Of course, this is written in Greek, so it doesn’t use the Hebrew word Elohim). Further, Paul specifically says there is NO OTHER GOD (family) but this ONE; there are many who are CALLED Gods; many that CLAIM to be a part of this GOD family. But they are NOT Gods! There is only ONE God family, composed of, at present, the Father, and Jesus. Notice it mentions no other members in this familial hierarchy! None yet!
There are many verses in the Bible that say similar things, for example Isaiah 43:10. With this understanding, we can easily make sense of them. The word translated as “God” there is “El”. We are not ever going to be El, any more than Fred Johnson can ever be the ORIGINAL John whose name he carries. But Fred is John’s son. Fred can inherit John’s land, Fred can look like John, Fred can have the same blood John has – Fred can be part of John’s family, but Fred will never REPLACE the original John, who will always hold the unique title of head of the family.
You will never be El, for El will always exist. Neither will you be Jesus, for Jesus will always exist. Nor will you be me, nor will I be you. But we can all be part of the same family! We can all have the same last name! We can all have the same type of immortal spiritual bodies, we can all share the same goals and inheritance and take part in governing the same universe! In every literal sense, we will be a God JUST LIKE GOD IS A GOD! That is the glorious beauty of God’s plan!
YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN
To become a true member of the family of God, you must have a body made of the same stuff as God. To receive that, you must be born again. This is a concept completely misunderstood by modern Christianity. Some ignore it altogether, others think they have been born again already – and both are wrong. We studied this a bit already, but let’s make it absolutely clear now. What will you be like when you’re born again? Read 1 John 3:9. If you are born of God (born again) it is IMPOSSIBLE to commit sin. You CANNOT sin, if you are born of God! And yet the same book makes it clear even the best Christians today DO sin inadvertently! 1 John 1:8-10. Meaning they are NOT born again! Yet!
But as is ALWAYS the case if you only READ the Bible, the answer leaps off the page! Jesus in John 3:6 makes the obvious statement: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh”. Now compare what Jesus said in that verse to 1 Corinthians 15:42-50. You shouldn’t need me to explain this; at least try to figure it out for yourself first before you keep reading. WHAT is Jesus trying to explain? *****
Do you see it? There are TWO types of bodies; one we have now. ONE we’ll have then. One made of mud, one made of light. One made of flesh, one made of spirit. Now if you are BORN from the flesh – as we all are – then we ARE flesh and blood. We’re not made of spirit! You can SEE and FEEL and HEAR us! Likewise, if you’re born of the spirit, you’re not flesh and blood! As Jesus later said, “a spirit hath not flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39). Spirit beings have a body, we have already shown; but that body is not made of flesh and bones. And to get that body you have to be BORN AGAIN!
Not by entering your mother’s womb again when you are old, like Nicodemus thought, but by entering a NEW WOMB, in a NEW MOTHER, to be born again with a NEW BODY, as part of a NEW SPECIES!
BORN OR CONCEIVED?
Part of the confusion on being born again, or born of the spirit, is the Greek word isn’t clear. The word “born” is translated from the Greek “gennao”; it means, according to Strong’s Greek Lexicon, “to procreate… bear, beget, be born, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of…”. So you see this same Greek word has two distinct meanings; to be born, and to conceive! But these meanings describe two completely different processes, which happen at opposite ends of the period of gestation! “To conceive” begins the pregnancy; “to be born” ends it! And begins new, independent life!
When we are actually BORN in the Kingdom of God, we will have a new spirit body, one Jesus said “is like the wind”. But being born only happens when the “pregnancy” is finished! So today we are not born into the Family of God, but merely CONCEIVED into the Family of God – this life is a gestation period! In John 3 Jesus used human pregnancy as an analogy of our spiritual growth and development. He uses that to explain how we are BORN into the Family of God – the only way we can be CHANGED from the Man-kind to the God-kind, and actually become a part of the actual God-SPECIES!
The creation of this body of flesh was begun at conception. By then our shape, sex, and nature – all the potential this body had – was already decided by the DNA blueprint. But we had a long way to grow from that scrap of DNA into a body ready to be born! We spent nine months in the womb, being given air, food, and water through our mother’s bloodstream. Only then were we actually born.
Certainly, at conception something new was begun; a new life was started on a course that should lead to a new creature being born. But to say this creature was born at the day of conception would be absurd! And now apply that thinking to the spiritual. We will be given a God-like spirit body at the RESURRECTION. That is when we will be BORN as a member of the God-kind. When God first calls you, and you first start to understand the truth, that is still not your conception.
To fit with our metaphor, at this point you are an egg and the spirit of God is dancing around, but you and it haven’t really bonded yet and created a new life! It’s not until a person is truly converted and COMMITS to God, something that only happens at baptism, that they are CONCEIVED by God! Then their true spiritual life begins! That is when they are conceived – one meaning of gennao – then they GROW in the womb for the rest of their human lives.
And if they have taken in the spiritual food, water, and air from their mother, then they will be healthy when they are actually BORN – the other meaning of gennao – in the Kingdom of God! Both meanings of the Greek word are used in 1 John 5:18.
Here, both “born of God”, and “begotten of God” (or “conceived by God”), are translated from the same word, gennao; and here the translators guessed the meaning correctly. If you are truly BORN of God, if the divine nature remains in you, then you CANNOT sin! (1 John 3:9). But if you are merely BEGOTTEN, or CONCEIVED by God, then you work to KEEP YOURSELF from sin; you CAN sin! But you AVOID it!
Isn’t that clear? A truly converted person has repented, decided to follow God, and has a changed attitude! They have truly begun a NEW LIFE (Romans 6:4). They have a new purpose! Their friends don’t recognize them anymore! (1 Peter 4:4). And their character begins to change! Ever so slowly it changes into the nature of God! But even when that happens, you still aren’t composed of spirit! Other people can see you, touch you, and so on. But you have the spirit of God in you! Your spiritual life and your future spiritual body have begun!
And now a tiny piece of the divine nature is in YOU, and if you nourish it and value it above all things, it will grow into a larger piece – and a larger piece – and when the time comes for you to be born, you will be ready to be changed into a SPIRIT BODY, and truly BORN AGAIN into the Kingdom of God!
BUT IS IT POSSIBLE TO BECOME A GOD?
No, of course not – by ourselves. But is this impossible for God? Luke 1:37. Is this the one thing almighty, omnipotent God cannot make happen? Jeremiah 32:27. Did even the disciples frankly ask Jesus HOW it was even POSSIBLE to be saved? Matthew 19:25. And what did Jesus reply? Matthew 19:26. Did Jesus come specifically to MAKE it possible, to GIVE us this power? John 1:12. It would be quite impossible for us to become a God on our own. On our own, we’d live out our lives and go back to the dust from which we were made (Genesis 3:19). God must GIVE US this power to become the Sons of God. And that power comes in the form of HIS spirit!
Think about humans – again, we are made after God’s pattern. Before we were born we had the potential to be human; we were shaped right, we had the proper organs; but we did not have the power to be human! If we were pulled out of our mother’s womb after only a couple of months of gestation, we would die! We would not be able to breathe on our own, couldn’t resist bacteria, couldn’t eat, wouldn’t even have all the body parts developed! Doing any of the basic things necessary for survival in this world would kill us!
Only a mature, healthy baby can handle being born into the kingdom of man. Now take that pattern and apply it one step higher; we are now merely Elohim-fetuses. We are in the proper shape, we have the proper organs and the potential to become like God, but we lack the power! If we were to be placed in the Kingdom of God right now we would die instantly! Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God because flesh and blood cannot SURVIVE in the Kingdom of God!
God dwells in pure light and shines like the sun; and as you learned in the last lesson, God and Jesus are MADE of spirit. So suppose God keeps the thermostat set at 1000 degrees in His throne room. Could you survive a second in there? No! First you have to have a new body, one designed to live in that Kingdom! And that is precisely what God is going to give you, when you are born as a God! Is it blasphemy to think of yourself as the literal child of God? Not as some spiritual metaphor, but a LITERAL fetus that will one day grow to be EXACTLY like God Himself? Again, just THINK about the question and the answer is obvious!
Does a father look at the bulging stomach of the mother and say, this is my child? Of course he does! But is this child BORN yet? Of course NOT! Is it as strong as he is? Is it as intelligent? If plucked prematurely from the womb, could it hope to survive in the world his father calls home? Has it a fraction of his experience, his character, his wisdom, or his beauty? Of course not! But is it his child nonetheless? Does he think of it as his child? Will it one day grow up to be JUST LIKE HIM in EVERY SIGNIFICANT WAY?
You are an unborn child of God. You have the strength of a fly and the wisdom of a moth compared to God. Nevertheless, God calls you His child. God has given you His name, and He has called you one of the Gods. We who are in God’s true church are even now members of the Elohim – in the most basic possible sense, we are Gods. Unborn, weak, fetal Gods, but nonetheless we have the germ of a new life growing within us, which if nurtured will become a new life when we are born again with a spirit body.
Now if your development goes badly, you may have a “miscarriage”, and not make it to the birth at the resurrection. But for now, and for as long as you obey your Father, you are His son or daughter and worthy of the title “child of God”. God created man with the words “let us make man in our image, after our likeness” – God’s plan is to make man be LIKE HIM! Both in appearance, and in character! To make us, quite literally, “like the Most High”.
ONE LAST OBJECTION
I can hear you saying “but isn’t that the sin of Satan – wanting to be like God?” Yes! Because Satan wanted to FORCE God to make him a part of the Godhead! Satan wanted to join God and Jesus as a coequal ruler of the universe and then selfishly close that Godhead off to everyone else for eternity! (Isaiah 14:14). Satan wanted to create a trinity! (And look, he did!) But God never offered that position to the angels (Hebrews 1:5, 13-14). That’s why Satan was determined to STEAL it from God – and THAT was his sin. God only offered this position to us, those made in His image who CHOOSE to be made after His likeness, and Satan is neither in God’s image nor, obviously, in His likeness!
God is grooming us to take a place in His throne (Revelation 3:21), though we did nothing to earn this place (Hebrews 2:6-7), it is simply the purpose for which God made us. But He has not given us a place ruling with Him yet (verse 8). That’s in the future. Unlike Satan, we are not going to take this power for ourselves. If God does not make us a part of His Family, and give us the honor, glory, and power He promised to those who overcome, we will never receive it. But the point is that this is what God promised us! Over and over in the pages of YOUR OWN BIBLE!
We are not going to dethrone God. God will always be on His throne. We will never be more powerful than He, just as Jesus will always be inferior to the Father (1 Corinthians 15:28). But the God Family has “many mansions” or “many offices” (John 14:2) – many jobs to fill that require the services of immortal, incorruptibly righteous spirit beings – the saints – to manage the universe. But the power-gap between us will not be that between an ant and a person, or a dog and a man; or a servant and his master. It will be the same power-gap that should exist between you and your earthly father. The power-gap between you and Jesus will not be the power-gap that exists now between you and God, but the power-gap that should exist between you and your oldest brother.
John 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends… Your future, if you overcome, is to be the friend of God; the brother of God. Not the servant of God. He Himself said so. Why not believe Him? Why is it so strange for God to want true, literal children of His own, like every other creature He made??
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
I’ve saved one final trinity argument for last; one of the best “proofs” that the world uses. I’ve saved it because ironically, it not only doesn’t prove a trinity – it actually PROVES your awesome destiny! The verse is Matthew 28:19. Now WHAT DOES THAT SAY? Does it say “baptize them in the name of the trinity”? No! It says baptize them in the NAME OF THE FATHER! It does NOT say “IN the name of the Son, and the name of the holy spirit”! It only says to baptize them in the NAME of the Father (and of the Son, and of the holy spirit). Only ONE NAME is mentioned!
It says to baptize new believers into the (singular) NAME of all three! The name OF THE FATHER that they share! And what name do the Father, the Son, and everyone with the holy spirit have in common? Elohim! They are ALL a part of the family of GOD! And when someone is baptized, they are CONCEIVED by the Father and officially become a new being, part that Family! So we baptize them into the Family of God because ALL beings who have the holy spirit, or who belong to the Godhead, whether in heaven OR IN THE EARTH… ARE CALLED ELOHIM!
Part of the Elohim family, the fetuses of God’s new household are HERE, on the Earth. The rest of the family is in heaven where Jesus and the Father await the resurrection, and the birth of the first sons and daughters into the newly enlarged family of God! When we become a part of God’s true church, we often leave behind our Earthly family, but we get a NEW FAMILY, a family connected by BELIEF in the one true God, a family we truly BELONG to because we all share ONE spirit! (1 Corinthians 12:13). 2 Corinthians 13:14 (Philips) The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship that is ours in the Holy Spirit be with you all!
We are baptized into the name of the Father; Elohim, the family of God. As such, we receive the GRACE of Christ, the LOVE of God, and the FELLOWSHIP with others who have the holy spirit – those other members of the Elohim-family on Earth! Theses verses don’t prove the trinity! They prove the FAMILY OF GOD, which is the opposite of the trinity! Don’t let a doctrine invented by Satan the devil blind you to the most awesome, daring, glorious plan ever conceived – the plan to elevate a being made of mud to a being incorruptibly, immortally righteous, even as God is Himself! No wonder the devil and his churches hate that!
For more lessons enrol in the Comprehensive Bible Study Course by Nathanial Burson The Simple Answers… To Life’s Most Important Questions.