Too many Christians attempt to evolve Christian theology as science evolves.  For example, the theories of Pangaea and evolution tell a story of an Earth that is millions of years old.  Non-coincidentally, a cult within Christianity arises that accepts what scientific theory tells them and maintains their Christian views by adding onto scripture theories such as a pre-adamic society.  I don’t think that I need to remind you of what Galatians 1:8 says, but clearly adding to scripture is wrong and therefore, Christianity should not evolve no matter what science tells us.

With that said, the objective of this post is three-fold: First, to show how a pre-adamic society is not biblical.  Second, to show how a triune God – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – existed before the Earth was created.  Third, to show why the Jews never accepted a triune God.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.” – Gen 1:1-2

The opening verse of the bible shows the plurality of God.  Here, God is translated in Hebrew as Elohim, which is the plural of God.  We also see the first example of the Holy Spirit.

“Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” – Gen 1:26-27

In the above, we see God speaking to God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) and we also see the first example of God in man form – Jesus Christ.

Therefore, from this first chapter in Genesis, we can conclude that all members of the trinity are God – one God – and existed together before creation.  God was not speaking to his angels that saw the destruction of a pre-adamic society, which led to a dark, void, and formless Earth that needed to be recreated.  God was speaking in trinity form to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Something so infinite cannot be grasped by a finite mind.  In fact, Jonathan Edwards – an American theologian – said that within the Trinity, perfect love, perfect harmony, perfect unison, perfect fellowship existed that even within this perfect triune, God’s love was abundant and over-poured so that God can share this fellowship, love, harmony, etc. with man.  The trinity of God is not polytheistic; the trinity does not exist in modes where God can transform into any one member of the triune when He so desires.  The trinity existed for an eternity before creation.  It always was, always is, and always will be.

(As an aside, for those that need more proof that the Holy Spirit is a member of the triune and is God, please refer to Acts 5:3.)

So how did the Jewish Rabbis interpret the first chapter of Genesis?  In no way would they have supported a plural God, even though the Torah was delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai, because that would give room for the “heretics” who call Jesus a God.  The trinity is something that when you try to comprehend or explain, you can’t.  This is when faith is required and exactly why the Jews never had an explanation for a triune God.  A little further below, there is a quote from the Jewish Zohar which states that faith is required since the trinity cannot be comprehended!  But first, below are some examples of what the Jews said to try to explain a three-in-one God away:

1) Scholars who worked on the Septuagint under King Ptolemy were embarrassed by the plural pronouns that they took the liberty of translating the plurality into singular.

2) 3rd century, Rabbi Joshua Levi – interpreter of the Jewish Talmud – said that the plurality implied that God was seeking advice and approval from other beings.

3) Rabbi Samuel ben Nahman said in Rabbi Jonathan’s name: “When Moses was engaged in writing the Torah, he had to write the work of each day. When he came to the verse, “and God said; Let Us make man…, he said: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Why dost Thou furnish an excuse to heretics?’ (for maintaining a plurality of deity). ‘Write,’ replied He; ‘whoever wishes to err may err.’”

There is no consensus among Jews about the plurality in Elohim.  In fact, here is a quote from non-contemporary, Jewish mystical/esoteric text – The Zohar – that I mentioned above:

“Hear, O Israel, Adonai Eloheinu Adonai is one. These three are one. How can the three Names be one? Only through the perception of faith; in the vision of the Holy Spirit, in the beholding of the hidden eye alone.…So it is with the mystery of the threefold Divine manifestations designated by Adonai Eloheinu Adonai—three modes which yet form one unity.”

So why don’t Jews believe in a “three-in-one” God if it is one of their teachings?  What Judaism teaches is different from what Jews must affirm to – hence, why many Rabbis denounce the triune God, although it is in their texts.  A point of unity among Jews is their foundation, called the Sh’ma. The Shema does not teach a plural deity.  The opening to the Shema comes from Deuteronomy 6:4:

“Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!

Sad thing is that here, God in Hebrew is Elohim – plural!  Therefore, what this verse is really saying is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is God and exists in perfect unison.  So due to lack of faith, the Jews are in a catch 22 as they continue to explain away the trinity even though their teachings teach a trinity.

Do Jews believe in the same God as Christians?  No! 1 John 2:23 states “Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.”  Therefore, the centrality of Christianity is the trinity.

-Mark

“He hath not slandered by his tongue, He hath not done to his friend evil;
And reproach he hath not lifted up Against his neighbour.^a
Despised in his eyes is a rejected one, And those fearing Jehovah he doth honour.
He hath sworn to suffer evil, and changeth not;^b
His silver he hath not given in usury, And a bribe against the innocent Hath not taken;
Whoso is doing these is not moved to the age!^c”

A) Verse 3 of this psalm shows a principle that Jesus taught regarding our thoughts and our actions. The verse is broken up into three parts, the first two of which deal with our thoughts and actions. Jesus told those around him that even if we think anything slanderous, hateful  thoughts towards our neighbor, we might as well have committed murder. (Matthew 5:21-22) When the psalmist says, “He hath not slandered by his tongue”, this is showing that as a Christian, a righteous man or woman of God, he has nothing on the tip of his tongue that is derogatory or evil inside of him. Often when we have suddenly forgotten the answer to a question a common phrase we use is, “It’s on the tip of my tongue.” If we have slander on the tip of our tongues, even if the thought of slander is not there but the feeling of it, the emotion of something negative towards your brother is consuming you even though you can’t pin it down, that’s still sin. We are to be free from all malicious thought and any accusations against our brothers. The Apostle John reminds his readers the same thing that Christ said; he also reminds them that the love we are to be clothed in is a self-sacrificing love. (1 John 3:15-16) Let our feelings, thoughts and actions be not on belittling those around us, but on how we can serve each other in thought and deed. Resist Satan, and he will flee, for we are not called to be anywhere near the evil of this world. (James 4:7) So let nothing but the Spirit itself dwell in us, may we submit to Him and let him do what He wills in us. (John 14:23)

B) This verse has two ways of being interpreted. One way is to say that the man of God holds in contempt those whose actions are wicked, while still being able to be free from the presence of evil thoughts or words. The second way is that the Christian is to find himself rejected and worthless in his own eyes. Both are great ways to read this verse. The first way of interpreting the verse we see a very godly man who is able to rightly judge his brothers, yet has an undying love for them. He sees their actions and knows the wicked things that they have done, yet he can only think of how he can build them back up. He holds them in contempt, at a distance, not because he views himself as more, lest he sin, but a distance so that he does not fall into the same snare. This idea is echoed in Paul’s writing in Galatians when trying to restore a fallen brother in Christ. (Galatians 6:1)

The second way of reading this verse actually comes from a translated version by Aben Ezra, “He is mean and contemptible in his own eyes” which is also a valid translation from the original, “ נבזה בעיניו נמאס, nibzeh beeynaiv nimas”. I don’t know which I like more because I stumble continually with trying to separate the sin and the sinner, and yet there is something so glorious and redemptive in the second way this verse is interpreted. We are to never put ourselves on a high pedestal, or think anything great of ourselves. We are to serve each other, and view ourselves as nothing. (1 Corinthians 10:24) Just as Christ came to wash our feet and save us from our sins, we are to have the same attitudes towards our brothers. As Christ humbled himself, and by taking on the form of man, not grasping at the being of God and took on our form, there shines something beautiful in that. (Philipians 2:6-8) How can someone so holy, so perfect in every way become lower just to serve, just to save us while we were sinning against Him? (Romans 5:8) This is the God we serve, we serve a God who has given himself to us, saved us and given His Word to use, so that all who believe in Him are saved. (2 Corinthians 11:4)

When was the last time that you lowered yourself, humbled yourself not to those who are close to you, but to those who despise you? Sinners show love to those who love them, so shouldn’t we do more? (Luke 6:32) If Christ showed the standard for living on Earth, and His whole time He spent humbling himself, putting those who had no right to be near the living God ahead of him, why are we not doing the same? Christians often use the term, “taking up the cross” as an expression about dying to ourselves, but I do not see many dead men or women around me. I don’t see people who gasp for breath, who are begging for a drink of water or a piece of bread, I see people who are healthy and do not have any thirst or hunger. Do I see a generation of dead men and women as we are called to be? I am the first to admit as I look in the mirror I do not see a dying man, and for that God convicts me. But let this be a note to anyone who reads this, if you look in the mirror and see an emaciated man, do y0u not also see the light of Christ in shinning through your life?

C) The last verse in Psalm 15, ties everything together. We have a man who does not take advantage of those who are innocent, for he is ultimately a man who fears the Lord. This whole psalm is also to point out that these things are only accomplished by those who fear God. These are the standards and the rules that he has given us that we need to keep. We are to abide in Him daily, and have the Holy Spirit convict us of the truths that He has already spoken. (John 14:26) When a Christian neglects these truths, he is not abiding close to Christ, and the fear of the Lord is not in his eyes. (Romans 3:18) I think that is important to look around and see anyone else that isn’t living up to this psalm. When we see a brother or sister in Christ who is not abiding in Christ, we are to restore them and pray for them. (Galatians 6:1) Let us not forget though, that it is a sin if we know we are to be praying for someone and fail to do so. (1 Samuel 12:23) Restore and pray for those who are shaken, help them see the truths of God and the love He has shown us. Be certain that you don’t have a log in your eye before you go to your friend with the speck, but be prayerful of those who you can help.

The psalmist ends with a promise, a guarantee that Christ gives to his followers. Those who keep God’s commandments and abide in Christ are on solid foundation that is unshakeable. When we start studying the Word, we find more about God and see more of what He has done for us. Too many people neglect to study the Bible, and are seeking experiences only. This is one of the most dangerous things possible because your foundation is going to be based on moment to moment feelings rather than everlasting truth. This is why we study God’s word so that we may pour more concrete on our foundation. Knowing who God is and what He has done for us is the concrete that we build our lives on.

“He who is walking uprightly,^a
And working righteousness,^b
And speaking truth in his heart.^c”

From the last post on Psalm 15, it becomes clear that to be able to dwell with God and live with him is one of the greatest gifts that we receive through the Holy Spirit. This is also something that we should remind ourselves not to forsake and always remember God as our Lord and Savior. David describes the type of man, or Christian who is able to dwell with God. Just because the Holy Spirit dwells in us does not make give us an easy ride to talk with God, in fact it may make it more difficult in some aspects because Satan will try doubly as hard to try and ruin us by sin. If we do not possess the characteristics of Psalm 15, we quench the Holy Spirit within us.

A) When David says, “He who is walking uprightly”, the word for “uprightly” in Hebrew, tamim, literally means perfectly, complete in all its parts. What is the Christian walking in though? Each day we walk along the thin line that is the will of God. The will of God when described by most commentators is not an individual plan for your life, though there is one for all of our days are written in His book, but one that is the moral will of God. (Psalm 139:16) This moral will is described perfectly in Colossians 1:9-13:

“Because of this, we also, from the day in which we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, to your walking worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, in every good work being fruitful, and increasing to the knowledge of God, in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy. Giving thanks to the Father who did make us meet for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in the light, who did rescue us out of the authority of the darkness, and did translate [us] into the reign of the Son of His love.”

Paul clearly lays out the will of God for every believer. The will of God is never directed towards the individual, but for all God’s children. (Though God has a will for the individual, this is seen in retrospect when we see God’s hand on our lives) We are to walk in these things daily if we want to be able to walk with the Lord. These are the things that David says we have to walk in all parts, we cannot skip one and go to the next. When you read 2 Peter 1:5-8, these are all the characteristics that a Christian should have, this is what God wants for your life, what the will of God is for you. Do not be ignorant, may the Holy Spirit convict you on what you are missing from your walk with the Lord. Like David, let the Lord search you by His Spirit and show you what is missing. (Psalm 139:23) In fact, there is a complete list of all the things that God hates in Proverbs 6:16-19. (The Seven Things God Hates)

B) Going into the Hebrew again for the 2^nd part of this verse, the Hebrew word for working, paw-al, is something that should be translated as, “systematic, habitual work.” This is not a type of work that every once in awhile when God smacks you over the head to do something good. You will know when you are doing this when you never receive a rebuke from God about doing works of righteousness because you are always doing it. I think that Christians are way too lazy and need to actually start getting out there and working. One of the best descriptions of work and labor is in 1 Thessalonians 1:3, when Paul says to “labor in love.” This type of labor is work that breaks you down and is merciless. This is not something you can do each day without it crushing your spirit and building it back up. Did you not know that God always called Israel out on the lack of care for the poor and widows? What are you doing this week to help those who need it and feverously work righteousness? This is not something you take your time and say, “not now, maybe tomorrow or the next day.”Maybe your worldy needs are being met and you have no reason to seek out the hungry and poor. Will God still answer your prayers? Of course, but to what extent? Will your lack of fervor for His will hold back or delay an answer?

C) The person who speaks truth in his heart does not make false promises or teaches lies. Whatever his heart convicts him of, he speaks it. He is a man who believes in the truth and makes it a practice of living by it daily. This truth can mean he speaks Gods word and that of the Bible, or that he does not let any falsehood escape his mouth. Solomon talks about this in Proverbs when he says that if we make any type of promise we cannot keep, we are to go immediately, forsaking sleep, and right the wrong. (Proverbs 6:1-4) Do we have the truth in us? Do we not hear from God every time we read His word? If we go against what He says, the truth is not in us, and we do not speak it in our hearts, let alone follow through and produce fruit from it. Are we slandering those around us, or are too promiscuous with our words? If all our words are played back before us when we stand before Christ, will we be able to stand on them or have them crush us? For a man’s words either condemn him or save him. (Matthew 12:37)

“Jehovah, who doth sojourn in Thy tent?

Who doth dwell in Thy holy hill?^“

As Paul would lay out the characteristics of those who are not fit to enter the kingdom of God, David shows us who is able to dwell with the Lord in Psalm 15. (1 Corinthians 6:9,10) Sometimes it is easier to look at what we should have in our daily lives as a Christian, rather than what we should be abstaining from. If we can walk with this psalm in our hearts, and by the help of the Holy Spirit, we will further our sanctification and become more like Christ. (2^nd Thessalonians 2:13)

As much as this is a rhetorical question, David asks it because who really is fit to be in the tent of the Lord? Who can say they are free to dwell on His holy hill, Zion? The priests of the old had to wear little tassels made from pomegranate shells on the bottom of their outfit so if God were to strike them dead, they would know because the sound produced from the shells would stop. (Exodus 28:33-35) The priests were the only people who were allowed to come into the Holy of Holies, and even they were not completely protected from God.

A Christian might say that since their body is a tabernacle for the Holy Spirit, they may approach God in any manner, or even haphazardly. (2 Peter 1:13) Solomon puts it very clear; when we approach God, we are to make our words few because if we make a promise or an oath to God and do not keep it, God has every right to take away the fruits of our labor. (Ecclesiastes 5:2-7) God is not our best bud, or our boyfriend, so to treat him like that is to not give him the respect nor honor that is due to Him. The Lord is so holy that he cannot even look at our sins, and he won’t even hear us when we pray if we have blood on our hands. (Habakkuk 1:13, Isaiah 1:5) Treating the Creator of the universe with such an earthly love shows a lack of true regard for who God is. Their love ceases to be agape, and turns into a sinful eros and phileo love.

So who can approach the Lord Almighty? As Christians, we have been given the greatest gift of all; communion with the Lord. Since the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we are only one prayer away from being in communication with God. This is something that in many is not utilized as it should, including myself. When Christ died, he tore the veil of the Temple, and gave us a chance to be in communion with Him. Does this mean we can live our lives in any fashion and still be able to walk with God? The Apostle John points it out very clearly that if we have any darkness in us; the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:6) Psalm 15 shows us a great example of what a righteous Christian should be like as He walks with the Lord. It is a very powerful and precious gift that we have received through the blood of the Lamb. To treat this with a lackadaisical attitude, we cheat God and ourselves. The psalmist promises us, that the man who is described in the psalm will not be moved when anything comes against him. (Psalm 15:5) This is a promise given by the Holy Spirit, and since God is not a shifting shadow, we know that if we walk in this manner, we will not be shaken by the calamities of our life.  (James  1:17)

“Finding the disciples there, we stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.” – Acts 21:4

Why did Paul go to Jerusalem?  Better yet, why did Paul go to Jerusalem when his ministry was for the gentiles (Romans 15:16)?  The desire and work of an apostle is the spreading of the Gospel through evangelism.  If we take a step back to examine Paul’s journey prior to going to Jerusalem, we will recognize that Paul was being led by the Holy Spirit to head toward Spain, and on his way, pass through Rome (Romans 15:28).  But first, Paul had made the decision to go to Jerusalem (Romans 15:25).

Romans 15:25-28 explains that Paul was going to Jerusalem to ensure that the “poor among the saints” in Jerusalem received the fruit (contribution) given by Macedonia and Achaia.  While in Jerusalem, Paul also decided that he would strive to “arouse my own people (Jews) to envy and save some of them” (Romans 11:14).  Paul taught that Israel is holy since its firstfruits is holy:

“If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.” – Romans 11:16

In Acts 20:22-23, we are told that Paul was compelled by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem.  However, the Holy Spirit warned that prison and hardships were facing Paul in every city.  Therefore, Paul knew that his ministry on earth was coming to a close.  Regardless, he felt led to go to Jerusalem.  In Acts 21:4, Paul and his crew arrived at Tyre where he met the disciples.  Here, they were urging Paul through the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem.  Moreover, at Paul’s conversion, Christ Jesus told Paul to flee from Jerusalem “because they will not accept your testimony about me” – Acts 22:18.  So why would Paul continue on route to Jerusalem?  Clearly he wasn’t disobeying God.  It is clear in Acts 23:11 that God willed for Paul to testify in Jerusalem prior to testifying in Rome.  Paul was confident with the decision to go to Jerusalem because he recognized that the Spirit’s work in Israel was fulfilled through Christ and after Christ was the age of the Gentile.  The Holy Spirit was not wrong in urging Paul not to go, rather the Holy Spirit was warning.  The Holy Spirit’s warning was further confirmed through the prophet Agabus and his prophecy concerning Paul’s imprisonment in Acts 21:11-12.

To summarize the Holy Spirit’s role in Acts 21:4: The Holy Spirit warned that Paul would face prison and hardships.  Moreover, the Holy Spirit’s work in Israel was complete through the death and resurrection of Christ until the full number of Gentiles is reached.  Therefore, God, through His sovereign wisdom, used Paul’s hope and affection “for his own people” (see Romans 11:14) to lead Paul to Jerusalem so that the developing enmity of the Jews climaxed to their final rejection of grace.  Paul’s love, hope, affection, and longing to suffer for Christ gave him all the confidence that he needed to continue regardless of the Spirit’s warning.  Paul spoke plainly to the Jews perhaps so that the difference between grace and the law (Jew and Gentile) could be distinguished by the Jews.  Although the exact reason for God sending Paul to Jerusalem isn’t clear, we can learn some truths about this story that are applicable to our walks as Christians.

1) The Holy Spirit warns us of danger and leads in the path of God and when persecution comes, he gives strength to endure it.

2) Suffering for the name of Christ should be the decision-making factor in seeking out God’s will.  The Holy Spirit warned that Paul faced hardships and prison in every city.  As Paul did, we too should consider our lives to be worth nothing and in this, we will fulfill God’s moral will for our life.  Perhaps this is a truth that we should live by when uncertainty exists: choose the path that denounces your life and glorifies God.  Paul did not look back at the consequences of his decision.  He knew that by putting his life in harms way meant a certain death and by dying, his life’s work was threatened by the “savage wolves” to come (Acts 20:29).  Yet, Paul continued in the path that kept his life of no worth.  In other words, by staying to protect his life’s work, he would have considered his life of some worth, rather than giving it up to God – the giver of all worth!  Is your decision making based upon claiming some worth or value to your life?

-Mark