The Holey Trinity - Jehovah is One

The first thing I want to do is address the idea that the name "Jehovah" is incorrect. This is true, to an extent. The extent is that there were no vowels in the original Hebrew, nor were there any J's. The name Jehovah comes to us from a transliteration of the Tetragrammaton. To deny the accuracy of this rendering then you must also deny the accuracy of every other Hebrew name in the Bible. This includes the name Jesus, whose name literally means "Jehovah is salvation". Jesus was a Jew and his name was Hebrew. If you deny the name Jehovah, logically, you must deny the name Jesus. As one last emphasis on this topic here is an excerpt from the preface of the American Standard Version of the Bible that I use many times to quote scripture:

"I. The change first recommended in the Appendix - that which substitutes "Jehovah" for "LORD" and "GOD" - is one which will be unwelcome to many, because of the frequency and familiarity of the terms displaced. But the American Revisers, after a careful consideration were brought to the unanimous conviction that a Jewish superstition, which regarded the Divine Name as too sacred to be uttered, ought no longer to dominate in the English or any other version of the Old Testament, as it fortunately does not in the numerous versions made by modern missionaries. This Memorial Name, explained in Ex. iii. 14, 15, and emphasized as such over and over in the original text of the Old Testament, designates God as the personal God, as the covenant God, the God of revelation, the Deliverer, the Friend of his people; -- not merely the abstractly "Eternal One" of many French translations, but the ever living Helper of those who are in trouble. This personal name, with its wealth of sacred associations, is now restored to the place in the sacred text to which it has an unquestionable claim."

In most Bibles, this name has been either completely removed or only appears a handful of times. However, it appears in the original manuscripts well over 7,000 times. The more accurate translations show this, such as the New World Translation and the American Standard Version. Others like the KJV, only render the Tetragrammaton this way 4 times. My research has not led me to why just those 4 times. Others, like the International Version, remove it COMPLETELY. In these translations in which it is removed it is replaced by the words "The LORD" in small-capital letters.

Imagine this: you spend thousands of years writing a masterpiece of literary excellence. You give this book to your publisher and he then removes your name from this book you spent so much time writing. He replaces it with a generic title such as "Written By: The Author".

How would that make you feel?

That's what has happened here and for no good reason. Not to mention the generic use of the title "The LORD" can and does cause MANY people confusion in distinguishing the difference between Jesus and Jehovah. This prays on the ignorance of the readers and makes it easier to push the narrative of a doctrine as faulty as the Trinity. When Jesus is referred to as The Lord consistently in the New Testament, one can look back to scriptures like this:

"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else." - Isaiah 45:18 (KJV)

That gives the impression that "the Lord" created the heavens, Jesus is "the Lord", so Jesus created the heavens, right? Wrong. That is why using the Divine Name is SO IMPORTANT! How this verse should really read is this:

"For thus saith Jehovah that created the heavens, the God that formed the earth and made it, that established it and created it not a waste, that formed it to be inhabited: I am Jehovah; and there is none else." - Isaiah 45:18 (ASV)

One interpretation is wrong, one is not. Imagine how Jehovah would feel giving the credit of Creation to someone other than Himself. Going back to the "masterpiece of literary excellence" that you wrote; would you want someone else to be given credit for it? Jehovah even tells us, He is jealous:

"for thou shalt worship no other god: for Jehovah, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God" - Exodus 34:14 (ASV)

On top of that, there are explicit warnings for those people who deny his name and do not use it:

"And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you. If ye will not hear, and if ye will not lay it to heart, to give glory unto my name, saith Jehovah of hosts, then will I send the curse upon you, and I will curse your blessings; yea, I have cursed them already, because ye do not lay it to heart." - Malachi 2:1,2 (ASV)

"How long, O Jehovah? wilt thou be angry for ever? Shall thy jealousy burn like fire? Pour out thy wrath upon the nations that know thee not, And upon the kingdoms that call not upon thy name." - Psalm 79:5,6 (ASV - See also Jer 10:24,25)

Bottom line: We need to use Jehovah's name. It may not be pronounced the 100% correct way, but if that's true, then neither are 100% of the names that appear in the Bible. Should we stop saying those to?

Now, who IS Jehovah? Where does He fit into the teaching of the Trinity?

It is my understanding that Jehovah is the culmination of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. All 3 of these person make up God - Jehovah. Something so profound as this, one would expect there to be some explicit statement of fact to support this within the scriptures. At least once. However, this idea is never mentioned. In fact, there is an interesting verse that the Trinitarians have adopted as supporting their doctrine.

"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah" - Deuteronomy 6:4 (ASV)

The Trinitarian argument is that Jehovah is 3 persons united as one God. But I ask, what if this verse said:

"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is three, yet one"

Surely they would also claim this verse as supporting their doctrine. They twist and manipulate whatever needs to be in order to further his belief. Basically, they make this text to mean that Jehovah is one nature. Not what it says, but this is an example of eisegesis. They force this scripture to fit their beliefs.

That verse is very important to the Jewish faith and has been since it was spoken by Moses. It is referred to as the "Shema".  It applies to all of Israel; every Israelite, every Jew. This included Jesus because as we know, he is also a Jew. Trinitarians claim the Jews did not know that Jehovah was a three person God. This was argument is made null from what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well.

"Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where people must worship.” Jesus said to her: “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation begins with the Jews. Nevertheless, the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshippers will worship the Father with spirit and truth, for indeed, the Father is looking for ones like these to worship him." - John 4:20-23 (NWT)

The Jews, Jesus included, were well aware of who they worshipped. Jesus made it abundantly clear the person to worship was the Father. Not the Son, not the Holy Spirit. True worshippers worship the Father with spirit and truth. Very clear who Jesus worships and tells us to worship.

"And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all? Jesus answered, The first is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. The second is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. And the scribe said unto him, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he" - Mark 12:28-32 (ASV)

Again, we have an example of the confusion that can be caused when using generic titles like "The Lord". Jesus is either speaking in the third person and referring to himself as "The Lord our God" (which would also require him to be calling himself his own God) OR he is speaking of someone who he is not.

Either way, Jesus is clearly speaking of God as being one, "He" (someone else). Jesus's use of pronouns that indicate God is someone other than himself is the ONLY way he ever speaks of God. His speech pattern alone should indicate to honest individuals that Jesus knew he wasn't God. The idea that he wasn't "currently" God, being a man on earth, would - at the very least - require some deceitfulness on his part. Going around speaking only of his Father as God and never himself, all the while knowing he was also God would be a dishonest practice.

Still, Trinitarians are insistent on forcing the Shema to support the Trinity. They claim that since the word "Elohim" is plural that it must indicate multiple entities within a singular God. They also point out the word used for "one" is "Echad" can be used to show "composite unity". This is another example of a required ignorance of the original Hebrew language.

The claim that the word Elohim is plural actually contradicts their beliefs! Elohim does not mean "persons" in the plural, it actually specifically means "gods" in the plural. Pointing this out simply means that they believe in many gods, which is a contradiction of the doctrine because it would mean there are 3 gods in the Trinity.

"The plural form of Elohim has given rise to much discussion. The fanciful idea that it referred to the trinity of persons in the Godhead hardly finds now a supporter among Scholars." - Smith Bible Dictionary

Addressing the grammatical errors this requires to be factual I will allow someone else to do the explaining. As he is well versed in explaining such things:

"when Trinitarians point to the use of the word ‘one' (ECHAD) where it refers to a "composite unity" such as "one cluster of grapes" they are deceiving those who are ignorant of Hebrew grammar. The only time that ECHAD has a "collective sense" is when it is used with "composite or plural modifiers." However, at Deut.6:4 there are no such "composite modifiers." The verse does not read: "Jehovah our God is "3 persons that must become our One Jehovah," or "Jehovah our God is one cluster." In the Bible when ECHAD is used without plural or composite modifiers it ALWAYS has the significance of, "single" and "only" and NEVER indicates a "composite unity." So again, Hebrew grammar completely destroys any Trinitarian interpretation." - BARS-ANERGES

Scripturally, contextually, grammatically, and truthfully one thing is a statement of fact; Jehovah is one. He is not one made up of 3. He is one Almighty God responsible for our existence and the existence of everything else. If Jehovah was a Trinity, the Jews would have known. Jesus would have known and spoke about Him in that way. Like they so often do, Trinitarians are putting their doctrine and traditions ahead of the explicit words of the Bible, which Jesus also knew would happen.

"And ye have made void the word of God because of your tradition." - Matthew 15:6 (ASV)