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Yahweh the Father, the Only True God!by Phil Maxwell
Would it not, therefore, be reasonable to conclude that claiming that anyone/anything other than Yahweh (the Father) is God would be the ultimate statement of unbelief, discounting the very foundational precept upon which all other doctrine must be built? The above statement and question generally arouses extremely passionate responses amongst apologists for so-called "mainstream" or "orthodox" Christianity, which we consider very revealing. The general consensus amongst them is that the nature and identity of the one, true and Almighty God should be interpreted within the context of doctrines that have been developed and passed down through generations of theologians and which bear the stamp of approval of the established religious hierarchies of our generation. We contend that it is the responsibility of each believer to prove all things using the more sure word of prophecy represented by the Scriptures (1Thes 5:21, 2Pet 1:19). Moreover, we contend that the foundational precept upon which all other doctrine must be built (Isa 28:10) is what Yahshua affirmed as the first and greatest of all other precepts: That His Father, Yahweh, is the only true God. Thus, while we recognize that a compelling Scriptural case can be made in support of the doctrine that "Jesus is God," we reject this conclusion because it defies the prevailing premise that Yahweh alone is God. The apologists for so-called "orthodox Christianity" generally approach this issue in reverse of the Scripturally prescribed manner, effectively concluding that the first and greatest commandment is that "Jesus is God" and interpreting all else accordingly. Thus, in order to reconcile the plainly and repeatedly stated precept that Yahweh the Father is the only true God with the premise that "Jesus is God," they contrive extra-Biblical doctrines like the dual-nature of Christ, that God has multiple identities (trinitarianism), and/or that there is no distinct person represented by Yahshua the Son of God (modalism). All of these stretch and twist reasonable interpretations of countless Scriptures beyond anything necessary to interpret the true meaning of verses that seem to indicate that Yahshua is God in the context that He is the Son of the one true God, and, therefore cannot be God Himself. This all comes down to what is perceived as the prevailing precept: Either Yahweh the Father ALONE is God OR Yahshua the Son of God is God, also. Judgment of this is not even debatable, as the Scriptures plainly state that the first of all commandments is that Yahweh the Father alone is the one true God; He is Yahshua's God and Father of Yahshua, and He is our God and Father. Moreover, whereas the Scriptures also plainly assert that only Yahweh the Father is God, never (not once) is there any such statement made of Yahshua (Jesus). Even though we concede that some compelling arguments can be put forth to support the latter conclusion, it is, nonetheless, a subjective interpretation which, in our estimation, does not align with the foundation of truth that the Scriptures prescribe. The Scriptures plainly reveal that Yahshua is the Son of man, the Son of God, and the Messiah or Christ -- the doctrine that He is God is a teaching that comes from theological interpretations of the Scriptures, not the Scriptures themselves. Furthermore, even if it were true, the Scriptures do not compel us to believe in the deity of Christ (that "Jesus is God") as they do our belief in the one, true God who is Yahshua's Father, Yahweh, and our Father. That does not mean that we are not compelled to affirm this doctrine, though. Indeed, quite the contrary is true, but the source of pressure to acknowledge this doctrine is not the Scriptures. The one thing that seems to be universally accepted as defining the "true faith" from cultic heresies is the deity of Christ doctrine. Like the Judaizers of Paul's day who sought to compel Gentile believers to comply with Jewish lifestyle standards, this amounts to unholy coercion to compel people to conform to the beliefs and convictions of men which might otherwise be benign. Rather than simply encouraging believers to search the Scriptures themselves, believers are more or less told that to not affirm that "Jesus is God" will cost them dearly: Those who don't affirm this doctrine are commonly portrayed as unredeemed cultists, heretics, and anti-Christs. In other words, the traditional teachings of the "historic Christian faith" are made equal to the commandments of God by making them a litmus test for who is and is not acceptable within their ranks, a practice that is reminiscent of the Pharisees and scribes of old who were shown to be children of the devil for so doing. As in those days, the inordinate elevation of these doctrines to such a prominent place is more of a problem than the teachings themselves. |
