I continue from where I previously left off: WHO IS THE ELOHIM OF MORMONISM?.
THE REFUTATION
In this section I will be refuting the Mormon view that the Father is Elohim whereas Jesus is Jehovah by appealing to the only Scriptures that the true God has ever inspired, namely, the canonical books of the Holy Bible.
YHWH THE ONLY TRUE ELOHIM
According to the Hebrew Scriptures, YHWH whom Mormons call Jehovah is the only true Elohim, and is also the only El and Eloah that exists. All other so-called elohim must therefore be false by their very natures, which is precisely what the NT writings teach:
“However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.” Galatians 4:8
With this in mind we now turn to the OT to see what it states in respect to YHWH being the one and only true Elohim:
“To you it was shown that you might know that Yahweh, He is God (ha elohim); there is no other besides Him… Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that Yahweh, He is God (ha elohim) in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other.” Deuteronomy 4:35, 39
“See now that I, I am He, And there is no god (elohim) besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded, and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39
“And the sons of Reuben and the sons of Gad called the altar Witness; ‘For,’ they said, ‘it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God (ha elohim).’” Joshua 22:34
“so that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh is God (ha elohim); there is no one else.” 1 Kings 8:60
“And Elijah came near to all the people and said, ‘How long will you be limping between two opinions? If Yahweh is God (ha elohim), follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’… But the people did not answer him a word… And all the people saw it and fell on their faces and said, ‘Yahweh, He is God (ha elohim); Yahweh, He is God (ha elohim).’” 1 Kings 18:21, 39
“Now the Spirit of God came on Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Listen to me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: Yahweh is with you when you are with Him. And if you seek Him, He will be found; but if you forsake Him, He will forsake you. Now for many days Israel was without the true God (elohe emit) and without a teaching priest and without law. But in their distress they turned to Yahweh, the God of Israel (elohe yisrael), and they searched for Him, and He was found by them. Now in those times there was no peace to him who went out or to him who came in, for much confusion was upon all the inhabitants of the lands. And nation was crushed by nation, and city by city, for God (elohim) threw them into confusion with every kind of distress. But you, be strong and do not let your hands fall limp, for there is reward for your work.’” 2 Chronicles 15:1-7
“Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of Yahweh and spread it out before Yahweh. And Hezekiah prayed to Yahweh saying, ‘O Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel (elohe yisrael), who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God (ha elohim), You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Yahweh, and hear; open Your eyes, O Yahweh, and see; and listen to all the words of Sennacherib, who sent them to reproach the living God (elohim chay). Truly, O Yahweh, the kings of Assyria have laid waste to all the countries and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods but the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. But now, O Yahweh our God (elohenu), save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are Yahweh, You alone.’” Isaiah 37:14-20
“‘You are My witnesses,’ declares Yahweh, ‘And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no god (el) formed, And there will be none after Me. I, even I, am Yahweh, And there is no savior besides Me. It is I who have declared and saved and caused it to be heard, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,’ declares Yahweh, ‘And I am God (el). Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?’” Isaiah 43:10-13
“Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of hosts: ‘I am the first, and I am the last, And there is no God (elohim) besides Me. Who is like Me? Let him call out and declare it; And let him tell it to Me in order, From the time that I established the ancient people. And let them declare to them the things that are to come And the events that are going to take place. Do not be in dread and do not be afraid; Have I not long since caused it to be heard to you and declared it? And you are My witnesses. Is there any God (eloah) besides Me, Or is there any other Rock? I know of none.’” Isaiah 44:6-8
“I am Yahweh, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God (elohim). I will gird you, though you have not known Me, That they may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me. I am Yahweh, and there is no other,” Isaiah 45:5-6
“Declare and draw near with your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has made this heard from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, Yahweh? And there is no other God (elohim) besides Me, A righteous God (el) and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God (el), and there is no other.” Isaiah 45:21-22
“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is Yahweh of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth (elohe kal ha arets).” Isaiah 54:5
“There is none like You, O Yahweh; You are great, and great is Your name in might… But Yahweh is the true God (elohim emet); He is the living God (elohim chayyim) and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation. Thus you shall say to them, ‘The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.’ It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.” Jeremiah 10:6, 10-12
THE FATHER IS YHWH
The God-breathed Scriptures further identify the Father as that very YHWH Elohim since he is said to the one and only true God:
“I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him. How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and you do not seek the glory that is from the only God?” John 5:43-44
“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.’” John 17:1-3
“yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.” 1 Corinthians 8:6
“For they themselves report about us what kind of an entrance we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10
“For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” 1 Timothy 2:5
This is why we find specific OT texts about YHWH applied to the Father as in the following cases:
“Why do the nations rage And the peoples meditate on a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together Against Yahweh and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart And cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, The Lord mocks them. Then He speaks to them in His anger And terrifies them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain. I will surely tell of the decree of Yahweh: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.’” Psalm 2:1-7
“You Are a Priest Forever Of David. A Psalm. Yahweh says to my Lord: ‘Sit at My right hand Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.’… Yahweh has sworn and will not change His mind, ‘You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.’” Psalm 110:1, 4
Compare:
“And so, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to set one of the fruit of his body on his throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that He was neither forsaken to Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured out this which you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet.”’ Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:30-36
“So when they were released, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and the elders had said to them. And when they heard this, they lifted their voices to God with one accord and said, ‘O Master, it is You who made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of our father David Your servant, said, “Why did the Gentiles rage, And the peoples devise vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.” For truly in this city there were gathered together against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose predestined to occur. And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders happen through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed earnestly, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with confidence.” Acts 4:23-31
“And we proclaim to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘You are My Son; today I have begotten You.’” Acts 13:32-33
“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. For to which of the angels did He ever say, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again, ‘I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me’?” Hebrews 1:1-5
“But to which of the angels has He ever said, ‘Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies As a footstool for Your feet’?” Hebrews 1:13
“In this way also Christ did not glorify Himself to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’; just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.’” Hebrews 5:5-6
Here’s another example:
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul is well-pleased. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or raise His voice, Nor make His voice heard in the street. A crushed reed He will not break And a faintly burning wick He will not extinguish; He will bring forth justice in truth. He will not be faint or crushed Until He has established justice in the earth; And the coastlands will wait expectantly for His law. Thus says the God (ha el), Yahweh, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, ‘I am Yahweh, I have called You in righteousness; I will also take hold of You by the hand and guard You, And I will give You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who inhabit darkness from the prison. I am Yahweh, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to graven images.’” Isaiah 42:1-8
The NT identifies this servant of YHWH as Jesus, which means that it is the Father who is thus speaking here as YHWH:
“But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to make Him known, in order that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, ‘Behold, My Servant whom I have chosen; My Beloved in whom My soul is well-pleased; I will put My Spirit upon Him, And He shall proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel, nor cry out; Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A battered reed He will not break off, And a smoldering wick He will not put out, Until He leads justice to victory. And in His name the Gentiles will hope.’” Matthew 12:15-21
JESUS IS THE ONE TRUE ELOHIM
The Mormons already acknowledge that the Bible does acknowledge the fact of Jesus being YHWH that became flesh. Therefore, there is no need for me to belabor that point.
However, these same Scriptures confirm that Jesus is also Elohim. For instance, the Bible attributes to Christ the following passage, which announces that YHWH Elohim will send an envoy to prepare Israel for his appearing to them in glory:
“A voice is calling, ‘Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God (elohenu). Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; Then the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.’” Isaiah 40:3-5
According to the NT the voice which Isaiah states shall call out is John the Baptist:
“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness. And he came into all the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight. Every ravine will be filled, And every mountain and hill will be brought low; The crooked will be straight, And the rough roads smooth. And all flesh will see the salvation of God.”’” Luke 3:1-6
“And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Elijah?’ And he said, ‘I am not.’ ‘Are you the Prophet?’ And he answered, ‘No.’ Therefore, they said to him, ‘Who are you, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?’ He said, ‘I am a voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as Isaiah the prophet said.’” John 1:19-23
This means the Baptist was sent to prepare Israel for the appearance of YHWH Elohim.
And yet that YHWH Elohim whom John heralded is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ:
“Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ, John answered, saying to them all, ‘As for me, I baptize you with water, but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the strap of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.’” Luke 3:15-17
“Then Paul said, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’” Acts 19:4
“John answered them, saying, ‘I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know. This One is He who comes after me, of whom I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandal.’ These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. On the next day, he saw Jesus coming to him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, “After me comes a man who has been ahead of me, for He existed before me.” I did not know Him, but so that He might be manifested to Israel, I came baptizing with water.’ And John bore witness saying, ‘I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He abided on Him. And I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, “The One upon whom you see the Spirit descending and abiding on Him, this is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” And I myself have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.’ On the next day, John again was standing with two of his disciples, and he looked at Jesus as He walked, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God!’” John 1:26-36
What this establishes is that Jesus is YHWH Elohim who became a human being
Moreover, the writer of Hebrews takes the following Psalms, which refer to the Messianic king as Elohim,
“Your throne, O God (elohim), is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God (elohim), Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions.” Psalm 45:6-7
And that describe YHWH as the unchangeable Creator and Sustainer of all creation,
“A Prayer of the afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before Yahweh. O Yahweh, hear my prayer! And let my cry for help come to You… But You, O Yahweh, abide forever, And the remembrance of Your name from generation to generation… Of old You founded the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. Even they will perish, but You will remain; And all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” Psalm 102:1, 12, 25-27
And attribute these statements to the Lord Jesus Christ:
“But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God (ho theos), is forever and ever, And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’ And, “You, Lord [the Son], in the beginning founded the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a mantle You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.’” Hebrews 1:8-12
In so doing, Hebrews is describing Jesus as both YHWH and Elohim at the same time.
WHAT ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT?
The Holy Spirit is also said to be YHWH Elohim since certain OT passages about YHWH Elohim are ascribed to him as well.
For instance, the Apostle Paul identifies the YHWH who appeared in visible form to the prophet Isaiah,
“In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is Yahweh of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called out, while the house of God was filling with smoke. Then I said, ‘Woe is me, for I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of hosts.’ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is atoned for.’ Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’ He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not know.” Render the hearts of this people insensitive, Their ears dull, And their eyes dim, Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their hearts, And return and be healed.’” Isaiah 6:1-10
As the Holy Spirit himself:
“And when they disagreed with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one word, ‘The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, “Go to this people and say, ‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; And you will keep on seeing, but will not perceive; For the heart of this people has become dull, And with their ears they scarcely hear, And they have closed their eyes; Lest they might see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart and return, And I heal them.’”’” Acts 28:25-27
Similarly, Hebrews takes these two OT texts about YHWH Elohim,
“Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before Yahweh our Maker. For He is our God (elohenu), And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness, When your fathers tried Me, They tested Me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who wander in their heart, And they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, They shall never enter into My rest.” Psalm 95:6-11
“‘But this is the covenant which I will cut with the house of Israel after those days,’ declares Yahweh: ‘I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God (lelohim), and they shall be My people. And they will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, “Know Yahweh,” for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,’ declares Yahweh, ‘for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.’” Jeremiah 31:33-34
And attributes these inspired verses to the Holy Spirit:
“Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, ‘Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as when they provoked Me, As in the day of trial in the wilderness, Where your fathers tried Me by testing Me, And saw My works for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, And said, “They always go astray in their heart, And they did not know My ways”; As I swore in My wrath, “They shall not enter My rest.”’” Hebrews 3:7-11
“And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us, for after saying, ‘This is the covenant that I will make with them After those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And on their mind I will write them,’ He then says, ‘And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’” Hebrews 10:16-17
Hence, the Holy Spirit is being described as that very YHWH Elohim who spoke to and through Isaiah and Jeremiah!
CONCLUSION
The foregoing data conclusively establishes the biblical basis for the Trinity. Note how this works out logically:
- YHWH is the one and only true Elohim.
- The Father is identified as YHWH Elohim.
- The Son is identified as YHWH Elohim.
- The Holy Spirit is described as YHWH Elohim as well.
- Therefore, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all YHWH Elohim.
- The Father is not the Son, and neither of them is the Holy Spirit.
- YHWH, therefore, isn’t a singular Person but is a singular Being who eternally exists as three distinct, yet inseparable, Persons, namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
In light of this, Mormonism is incompatible with God’s inspired revelation, the Holy Bible, and therefore cannot be a legitimate branch or expression of true historic Christianity, since it rejects the Triune God revealed in inspired Scripture.
The fact is that Mormonism is a false religion that has a completely foreign God, embraces another Jesus, believes in a different Spirit and proclaims a perverted Gospel. As such, Joseph Smith is nothing other than another false prophet whom the Scriptures forewarned believers of (Cf. Matt. 24:23-25; 2 Cor. 11:1-4, 13-15; Gal. 1:6-9).
FURTHER READING
Biblical Witness to the Deity of the Holy Spirit
The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible Testifies: The Holy Spirit is an Eternal Divine Person!
THE BIBLICAL GOD VERSUS THE MORMON GODS
THE BIBLICAL GOD VERSUS THE MORMON GODS PT. 2, PT. 2B
THE MORMON SATAN & PREMORTALITY
Answering Islam Blog 
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