August 14th, 2012
He is righteousness/godliness revealed in the flesh (1 Timtohy 3:16), declaring G-d whom no one has seen (John 1:18), the everlasting Father who dwells in Him (John 14:10, 2 Corinthians 5:19). Indeed, He is the Word made flesh (John 1:14), the visible image of the invisible G-d (Colossians 1:15), and the exact representation of His nature (Hebrews 1:3) for in Him the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell in bodily form (Colossians 2:9) just as the prophet Isaiah foretold (Isaiah 11:1-2). He is Immanuel, "G-d with us" (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23), the arm of HaShem revealed (Isaiah 53:1; Exodus 6:6). And so when we see Him we see the Father (John 14:9), when we hear Him we hear the Father (John 7:16, 12:49, 14:10,24) and in piercing Him we pierced the Father (Zechariah 12:10). He is the alap and the taw, the beginning and the completion (Revelations 1:8, 22:12-13); the living bread that came out of heaven (John 6:51) whose origins are of old (Micah 5:2). All things have been created by, through, and for Him (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17, Hebrews 1:1), and all things and all authority on heaven and earth have been given to Him (Matthew 11:27, 28:18). As such He is the true G-d (1 John 5:20) whose throne is forever (Hebrews 1:8) and at His Name, every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess that HE IS THE L-RD (MARYA HAW ESHO'), which brings glory to the Father (Philippians 2:9-11) the One who has completed His work through Him (Matthew 26:39, Luke 22:42, John 4:34, 6:38, and finally, it is finished - John 19:30; and may we all say, amen!)
In establishing facts regarding the Messiah, we must turn and stick to the original source of spiritual truth: The Scripture. Who then does the Scripture proclaim the Messiah Yeshua to be? Shimon Keefa said He is the Mashiach, the Son of the Living G-d (Matthew 16:16) but we read further within the Scriptures that:
Let us be content in these statements and not try to expose the nakedness of G-d by going beyond the Scriptures and reading our own understanding into His truth. We must remember that we are but the bride and only in consummating the marriage shall we see Him in the detail we desire; a detail yet to be revealed and understood in it's fullness.
In speaking about the identity of Messiah, many point to it as being an issue of salvation. And indeed, this is important, for if there is no one good or perfect but HaShem our G-d, then the only way for Messiah to be a perfect, sinless (spotless) lamb, able to redeem us from the condmentation of the Law, would be such that it requires Him to be not merely a man as we are men. But may we stand in awe of this completed work and know that as the Scripture says, there is no Saviour but HaShem (Isaiah 43:3, 43:11, 45:21-25, 49:26, 63:7-10, Hosea 13:4), who has redeemed us through Yeshua the Mashiach our Master (Romans 7:24-25, 1 Corinthians 15:57, 2 Corinthians 5:19) who is therefore also our Saviour (Matthew 1:16, Acts 13:23, Titus 2:13). This is what the text plainly says. To nitpick and divide ourselves because of linguistic arguments and interpretations that go far beyond the text is to fall into the enemies ploys and disallow the fullness of HaShem's Spirit and His blessings/fruit in our lives. Rule of thumb: if we cannot fully understand or comprehend it, then it is not relevant to our faith walk! And walking in submission to G-d means we do not overstep our boundaries. This is one of the most important lessons that we can learn as His servants. Let what He has revealed to us in this age be sufficient.
But, in speaking of salvation, what then is required? Well, HaShem is our only source of salvation, and He has done this through the Mashiach Yeshua our Master and life-giver. So we must trust the redeeming arm of HaShem revealed to us and stand in awe of His Majesty. At the end of the day, our trust must be exclusively in Him, and not our own theological understanding.
Gems From Orthodox Judaism
Although we should be submissively content with the plain statements of Scripture, I know there are some who like myself in the past will want to try and grasp even more of trying to understand the identity of Mashiach and the nature of G-d. So, I present to you two gems from Orthodox Judaism. One is from a Torah Jew who does not recognize Yeshua as Mashiach and the other is from a Jew who does but still continues to live as an Orthodox Jew within the Orthodox community.
One thing I believe was totally absent from the minds of the church founders when they were developing the trinitarian theory was the Hebraic understanding of the "soul". If they hadn't of cut themselves off from Judaism I believe we would have a much more refined and unified understanding of Mashiach. Let the words of an Orthodox Jew educate you on this crucial subject, and then I leave it to you to try and apply this understanding to how Mashiach can be 100% man and yet not merely a man as we are men.
"In the Hebrew Bible there are five Hebrew words that refer to... or are translated as - the word "soul" in English. The first three that are most relevant to us are called the Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah. The Nefesh is the "life force" that animates the body. The Torah teaches us that animals have a nefesh or "life force" as well. It is for this reason that the Nefesh is called the animal soul and is associated with the yetzer hara - which is the part of us that seeks self preservation by any means... much like an animal instinctively seeks to preserve its own life. Since the Nefesh animates or gives "life" to the body...when the Hebrew Scripture talks about the Nefesh it is simply referring to our physical life. Since the Nefesh is SO connected to the physical body- the Hebrew Scripture thus states that "the soul or "nefesh" or "living body" that "sins" or seeks to preserve itself using methods NOT approved by the Torah...this life will be taken...in other words the physical body will die.
Now, if there was ever a Jewish or Hebraic way of explaining the trinity, the following would be it. I present to you this last gem from an Orthodox beleiver in Mashiach Yeshua...
However the Neshamah is not associated with the physical body. Thus the Neshamah is also known as the "G-dly" soul and is an actual part of HaShem. The Neshamah is pure and always remains connected to HaShem. Thus, the Neshamah is the REAL "us" and will return to HaShem when the Nefesh is no longer needed in this physical world... and the body dies and goes back to the ground in which it was formed.
The last word for the soul is Ruach and is the breath of HaShem. The Ruach is what allows the Neshamah to influence - or rule over the Nefesh and cause the Nefesh to choose G-dly Torah methods for fulfilling its desires for self preservation. In addition it allows the Neshamah to guide the Nefesh toward the service to HaShem... while in the physical world. It is a bridge in which our emotional faculties plays a large role...which is why we must strive to elevate them in the service of HaShem." -Solomon Sofer, Torah Jew
"Scripture hinted man a singular but rich oracle when it says "Let us make man according to our image", for by this window, alone, can man know better the Person of his G-d. That oracle isolates for us conveniently the right solution, that to know the Person of G-d is by knowing the nature of man, not from the stones, trees or mountains; not by the physical form of man because G-d is not material, but by the intellect of man; where, our intellect clearly reflects the Image of G-d: for each man in his intellect has "Will", "Word" and "act-of-being" the very imprint of "ha-Av", "ha-Ben" "vaRuach haQodesh" (Father, Son and Spirit)." -Zahav Peretz
Gems From the Peshitta and the Church of the East
Neda kula Beth Israel d'Marya w'Meshikha awdeh Alaha l'hana Esho' = "Let be known to all the house of Israel ... That L-RD (Y-H-W-H) and Messiah has G-d made this Yeshua..." (Acts 2:36, Eastern Peshitta)
How can G-d make Yeshua both HaShem (Y-H-W-H) and Mashiach? Can HaShem be made? Heaven forbid! But, what was created in the womb of Maryam was indeed made to be "Emmanual" - G-d with us. Or in other words, Yeshua the humanity was born / made to be HaShem the Divinity dwelling among us. This makes sense of course because as the Scripture proclaims: "in Him the fullness of Divinity (da'lahuta) was pleased to dwell bodily" (Colossians 1:9, 2:9). Paul Younan, Shamasha in the Church of the East, explains this from their Apostolic tradition,
"The key to Acts 2:36 is an understanding that, when we speak of Jesus, we are referring to the Person (parsopa) of the Incarnation. We are not referring to the Son (a Qnoma of the Trinity) apart from His humanity. When we speak of the Parsopa of Jesus, we are speaking of the Union of the divine and human Qnome. It is that Union, the creation of that Union, that is being reference in Acts 2:36.
If Acts 2:36 were referring to the Qnoma of the Son, then the verse would not make sense ... as the Qnoma of the Son is already YHWH and cannot be "made" YHWH. Rather, Acts 2:36 is speaking of the Subject of the Incarnation (union of divinity and humanity), the Person (parsopa) of Meshikha.
"Christ is one – the Son of God, more honored than all, in two natures. In his Divinity he was born of the Father, without beginning and above time. In his humanity he was born of Mary, in the latter times with a united flesh. Neither is his Divinity from the nature of the mother, nor his humanity from the Nature of the Father – the natures are unconfused [lit. “protected”] in their qnome, in one Person of one Sonship. And wherever there is divinity, there are three Qnome and one Existence. Thus is the Sonship of the Son: in two natures, one Person. Thus has the holy Church learned of the faith of the Son who is the Messiah. We adore you, O Lord, in your Divinity and in your humanity which are without division." (Mar Bawai the Great, Liber de Unione, 6th c.)"