Session 9

Q. Dr. Nagi, last episode we discussed a very interesting and serious topics, one of the most important and difficult subjects in Christianity: Trinity. Studying this topic, we need be meticulous and particular, in order to perceive it. Dr. Nagi, you had mentioned that in order to understand this issue, we have to understand the nature of God Almighty. You also said that our search in the person of the Almighty is for a justified purpose: That we may believe. We do not aim, God forbid, to contain the Almighty in our limited minds. Thus our search is not to be considered Atheism. You explained the three types of unity under which all living beings categorize. Could you please summarize them, since our discussion today is based on them?
A. The first type of unity that I had mentioned is the Compound unity where a unit consists of separable parts, which put together, for one unit. An example to this is the nucleus and its components. We also said that this type of unity does not apply to God Almighty. The second type is the Abstract unity. This type does not exist in the natural world, but some believe that God Almighty's Unity is Abstract, meaning that He is beyond existence, science, and will. That He is unrelated to His creation, and could not be ascribed any of the traits that qualify His living creation; they believe that ascribing any human trait to the Almighty, would limit Him much like the creature He’s been compared to. Third type is the Collective unity, which is believed by Christians to apply to the God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and the Holy Spirit (The spirit of God) into One.

Q. Dr. Nagi, could you please explain to us the meaning of the Collective Unity that Christianity believes in?
A. Christianity believes that God Almighty has but one substance. He does not consist of separable parts, God forbid. His monotheism is not abstract either. It is therefore Collective monotheism (unity). In order to clarify this idea, I would like to explain an illustrative image. Comparing God Almighty with an illustrative image is considered folly, since no illustration is capable of comparing to Unity of the Almighty. It is absurd to compare the creator with the creation, the limited with the unlimited, and the eternal with the vanishing. Let us take the Sun for illustration: The Sun is an existence that consists of flaming gases and other substances; as a whole, it illuminates the earth, and in the same time provides the heat that sustains the earth from freezing, ceasing to exist. The three, the Sun, its heat and light, though each distinguishable from the other, are inseparable. There couldn't be Sun without light or heat, and similarly no light without Sun or heat, and no heat without Sun or light. Even though the Sun exits as one unit, it has three distinct emissions that are inseparable. The unity of the Sun is collective in that it combines heat, light, and the Sun itself, being one unit: a star. Though the Sun is located up in the sky, yet its light and heat work within the earth. Both, the Sun and heat are inseparable from the Sun. Even if the light disappears behind an opaque cloud for an instant of a time, we can still sense its heat, and know that the source of both radiations is the Sun.

Q. Could you please apply this illustration to the Monotheism of the Almighty, as Christians believe it?
A. May God forgive me - for He is incomparable to His creatures - but, assuming that God Almighty, who is well established on His throne, is the Sun with all the use and magnificence with which it enfolds the earth then the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name) is the light springing from the Sun. We explained this illustration in details; we also explained John 1:9 saying about the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name) that He ‘was the true light which gives light to every man coming into the world.' Also the heat, that which gives life and energy to all human beings on earth, is what we compare with the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of God. Just like it is impossible to separate the three though each is unique and different from the other, similarly with God Almighty, the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), the Son (the light), and the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God (the heat that gives power and energy). Even though the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name) is unique and varies from the Holy Spirit and from God the Father, yet the three are inseparable from each other. Just as it is impossible to separate the Sun from its light and heat; yet is called the Sun. This illustration is similar with God Almighty.

Q. Dr. Nagi, I understood that illustration, of course bearing in mind the extreme parity - as you said. But could you please explain the last phrase, ‘and yet is called the Sun; this illustration is similar with God Almighty’?
A. We use this illustration to make the concept closer to people's perception. I may for example ask my son to open the window and let the Sun into the room. I definitely do not mean that the Star Sun will come into the room.

Q. Of course not, you mean to tell him, let the light of the Sunshine into the room, or let its warms fill the room.
A. Exactly... When I stand under the light or the heat of the Sun, my body gets warm; I say I feel hot because I stood under the Sun. We may we even warn someone saying, ‘you my get a Sunstroke, or heat stroke if you stay in the Sun for a long time’. We therefore call it Sun, (whether meaning light or heat of the Sun). Similarly with God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and the Spirit of power and life, the Holy Spirit. The three are unique, yet one in substance. God the Father is the genuine source of light, God the son is the true light, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. The three are unique, are inseparable and are called God. The Code of Christian Faith embodies this idea. In the opening statement we say, ‘we truly believe in one God.' Further into the text, and in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), it says, ‘light of light, true God of true God, born, yet not created' etc.

Q. The idea of Trinity is now perceivable to whoever is willing to believe it, especially after the illustration of the Sun. Now would you please allow me to ask for some elaboration using the same illustration you used? Do you think that the Sun, its light and its heat share the same importance? Does each element perform the same job the other does? Similarly, does God Almighty, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and God the Holy Spirit share the same importance? Does each perform the same job as the other hypostasis? If not, then the most important One has to be God Almighty the Father, who is well established on His throne. Since without God Almighty, the Father, there is not Lord Christ (Glory be to His Name), and there is no Holy Spirit. Similarly, without the Sun, there is not light and no heat.
A. Your question is indeed great, and I agree with you that, should there be no God the Father, there will be no Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and no Holy Spirit. Similarly, should there be no Sun, there will be no light and no heat. Yet, there is the other side of the coin: Should there be no heat or light, there will be no Sun. Similarly, God the Father could not exist in separation from the God, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and God the Holy Spirit. It is out of the question that either of them separates from the other. The three are therefore equally important, since absence of one means absence of all. This is the true meaning of collective unity, but not the compound unity. The absence of one part in a compound unit, may affect the formulation or the appearance of the unit, but not its existence. Whereas the absence of one person from a collective unit,, means the absence of the entire being.

Q. This is about the equality of importance in a collectively united being. What about the job of each performs? Is there any difference in the job of each? If the Sun, its light and its heat were one, they would have performed the same job.
A. This is in fact an advantage of the collective unity, where every element has a unique function, yet still inseparable from the other elements to which He is collectively united. The light of the Sun has its own effect, which is different from to the heat of such; both have functions, different from the Sun itself. The light effused from the Sunshine through the earth; thus the Sun shines through the earth. Similarly, the heat effused from the Sun warms the earth, thus it is the Sun that warms the earth. Without the Sun there is neither light nor heat. We can say the light shines and the Sun warms and we can say the light shines and the heat warms. But we cannot say the heat shines, and the light warms; and the Sun exists as the source of both.

Q. How can this apply to God the father, God the son, the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), and God the Holy Spirit, the three we One God - eternally seated on His Throne?
A. Though each One is unique, and each has His unique work, yet, all harmonize with this collective unity: Between God the father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The three are equal and participate in performing one job, which confirms that each is the One God - there are no three gods.

Q. Is it possible to give an example from the Bible that explains the meaning of Hypostasis (Divine person in the Trinity) that we always refer when we talk about the unity of God almighty? Why do we us this term in particular?
A. The ward Hypostasis was a term which Christians the one God: the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit. It is a Syrian word that meant: Persona, meaning appearance, image or mask. We used this term in particular because it is the word, which implies the meaning of being unique, yet inseparable from the One God. Just as the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are unique, yet are inseparable from the One God Almighty. The word person was derived from the original word, persona.

Q. Why wasn’t the word ‘Hypostasis’ used in lieu of the term ‘person’, when referring to God Almighty the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit?
A. Translating the term ‘Hypostasis’ into ‘person’ was exactly what caused the confusion. It gave people the impression that Christians worshipped three gods; whereas, in reality, we only worship One God, The Almighty. This was because the term ‘person’ indicates individuality, not unity in any of its forms: Collective, Compound or Abstract. Hypostasis was the only term to imply both, uniqueness and unity all at the same time.

Q. Dr. Nagi, could you please give us examples from Holy Bible that God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are One in terms of character and the acts that each performs, but all participate in unity?
A. From divine standpoint, the One God, who has no partner and is seated on the Throne, is mentioned in Genesis the first book of the Bible 194 times, 27 of which are mentioned in the first chapter. It is worth mentioning that the Name of the Almighty (Allah) was always mentioned in the plural form in the Hebrew language: Alohim, the single form of which is (El). As for the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), the Holy Scripture says, ‘Great is the mystery of Godliness: God was manifested in the flesh' I Tim 3:16, speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name). And in Hebrews 1:8 the Holy Scripture says, ‘Your throne O God is forever’, confirming that the Lord Christ (Glory be to His Name) is God almighty. Also in John 1:1, as we have already seen, The Scripture says, ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ As for God the Holy Spirit, it is clear in the incident of Ananias and Sappira stated in Acts 5. The Scripture tells us that the couple lied to the Spirit of God. Peter, one of the disciples of the Lord Jesus told them, ‘Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit’ Acts 5:3; Peter continued saying, 'You have not lied to men but to God acts 5:4. Thus the Holy Spirit is God, the Lord Christ (Glory be to His Name) is God, and God the Father is God; all are one God who has no partner.

Q. So this is about their divine unity: God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is One God.
A. That’s true. For example, God the Father is Holy as per the commandment to believers in the Bible that therefore they shall be Holy, as their Father in heaven in Holy. Also the day when the angel announced to Virgin St. Mary that she will conceive a son most pure, and noble, in this life and in the hereafter, he told her; ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also that Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God' Luke 1:45. The three therefore are One, participating in the quality of being Holy. Also in creation, the Holy Scripture tells us that it was God who created the earth and the sky; this is God the father. Of the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name) the Scripture says, ‘upholding all things by the word of His power’. Hebrew 1:3. And of the Spirit of God, the Scripture says, ‘The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life’ job 33:4. Thus God the Holy Spirit participating in creation.

Q. What about the unique aspect in the realm of the acts? What each Hypostasis done on His own?
A. Incarnation for example. It was the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name) who came to earth in Human body; God the Father did not incarnate; yet the three are One and inseparable in the process of incarnation. Similarly with redemption, it was the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), God revealed in human body, who through death, by the Grace of God, on behalf of each one of us. But God the Father, forever established on His Throne, was not crucified, and does not have a body similar to ours. He fills the earth and the sky. The same applies to the Holy Spirit; the Scripture tells us that He dwells within us and lives in us. He is the Comforter, the Reproacher and many other qualities to be attributed to Himself. Each Hypostasis, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit perform a separate job, yet in harmony and unity; the three are therefore, One God Almighty, forever and ever living.

Q. How can a normal person believe that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are One God when no one has seen, or heard of anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ (Glory be to His Name), who came to our earth, and lived as simple life?
A. There are certain things that we believe, though we have not seen them, but we see evidence to their existence. No one has seen the air (wind), yet we all see its effect, and believe it exists; we see the plants tilting, the rocks pulled out, or a heavy airplane soaring up in space. We do not see the air, but we never doubt it exists. Similarly, we do not see God the Father, or God the Holy Spirit, yet we believe He exists and rewards those who seek Him. The whole matter is purely spiritual, and cannot be perceived except by the spirit - by opening our hearts and minds to the Almighty, and His help that faith be poured in our hearts, and fill it. Thus we become true and loyal to Him. Else, God forbids, we'll discover after its' too late that we are but losers.