Expert: Glenn Hansen - 9/14/2010

Question
I've recently started Bible study with an Seventh Day Adventist Lady who I haven't been able to see due to scheduling conflicts in a few weeks. In the mean time I've spend time reading the Bible on my own and am having trouble understanding some concepts.

I've spend the last 3 days looking into the concept of the holy trinity and from everything I've read, my understanding is that there is God the father, God the son and God the spirit which are all equal and form one God.

Several sites I've looked at though quote a scripture in which Jesus says his father is greater than he. Does he mean he is greater than Jesus is in human form or he is greater in general?

And am I correct in my understanding that God the son was send to die for our sins which is why we pray to Our Father (God the father) and finish by saying we prayed in Jesus' name (God the son)?

What I'm basically trying to work out is whether God the father, God the son and God the spirit are all equal and what role they all played throughout the bible before Jesus was born.

For example, in the Garden of Eden, was it God the father who threw out Adam and Eve? And who is the one we are ultimately to worship? God the Father or God the Son?

Sorry about all the questions. I'm just trying really hard to understand who God really is. People say Christianity is about having a personal relationship with Jesus which always confused me as I always thought it was always about praising God the father whom we pray to.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply.  

Answer
Vienna,

The Bible is quite clear that God is ONE:

"Hear O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD" Deut. 6:4

The term "trinity" is not used in Scripture. As you mentioned, there are apparently contradictory passages in Scripture regarding the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Even less is said about the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Revelation 4 and 5 do reveal One on the throne, the spirits before the throne, and the Lamb in its midst, but nothing is clearly stated about their relationship.

One passage in 1 John 5: 7 which plainly  supports the idea of a trinity is widely acknowledged as a fraudulent insertion,not part of the actual Bible in the original language.

I would not be especially worried about this issue. If it were important, I'm sure it would be plainly spelled out. The Cross of Christ, the resurrection of Jesus, the new birth, these are the things we should focus on.

Take care.