GOD IS ONE

IN THE

HOLY TRINITY

Zachariah Butrus

AND YOU WILL SEEK ME AND FIND ME,

WHEN YOU SEARCH FOR ME WITH

ALL YOUR HEART.

Jeremiah 29: 13

GOD IS ONE

IN THE

HOLY TRINITY

Fourth Revised Edition

(English Translation of the Arabic Original)

by

Archpriest Zachariah Butrus

MARKAZ-AL-SHABIBA/BASEL

SWITZERLAND

Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Chapter I: The All-gathering Unity of God

in the Holy Trinity 9

The Unity of God in Christianity 10

The Holy Trinity in Christianity 11

The Necessity of the Trinity in the Unity 12

Chapter II: The Testimony of the Kuran

for the Unity of the Holy Trinity 15

The Kuranic Testimony

of Christian Monotheism 16

The Kuranic Testimony of the Holy Trinity 17

The Kuranic Testimony

that Christ is the Word of God 18

The Kuranic Testimony of the Holy Spirit 20

Chapter III: The Names of the Holy Trinity 21

The Father 22

The Son 24

The Holy Spirit 26

Chapter IV: The Counterfeit Trinity 29

The Trinity of the Maryamiyya Sect 30

The Christian Attitude

Towards this Counterfeit Trinity 30

The Attitude of Islam 31

Chapter V: The Shining of Grace 33

The Proof of the Spirit 34

Groping in Darkness 35

The Grace of Revelation 38

Overwhelming Compassion 41

The Light of Faith 43

The Greatest Proof 47

Summary 53

Quiz 55

— 6 —

Introduction

Difficult facts are given to an infant in a simplified

and generalized way. As this infant matures and his

perception becomes complete, he is dissatisfied with

simplified and summarized information. He endeavours

to search for accuracy and details in matters, for his

intellect is ready and prepared to absorb them.

This is also the case with mankind. When mankind

was in infancy, the Lord gave them a simplified and

generalized picture of Himself to the extent that they could

perceive. That is why the apostle Paul said, "And I,

brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as

to men of flesh, as to babes in Christ. I gave you milk to

drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive

it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able" (I Corinthians

3:1-2).

When the perfect time had come and the mentality of

believers grew, the Lord began to declare that He is one in

His unique Trinity. He uncovered for us this great secret

which was concealed from mankind in their state of

perceptual and spiritual weakness. When the Lord gave

the gift of the Holy Spirit to us, He revealed His own life

and His divine status to us as the apostle Paul said, "For to

us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit

searches all things, even the depths of God" (I Corinthians

2:10).

7

This doctrine is still a secret unknown to the carnal.

They resist it because of their lack of perception of the facts

of true faith and the concealed secret of God.

With the Lord's grace I wrote this book to simplify

and clarify what was impossible to understand and dif-

ficult to perceive. The book is written so that anyone who

reads it can believe in this divine secret and know that this

belief does not contradict the intellect, but it satisfies it, and

can see that even the books of those who fight against this

belief, because of lack of knowledge, clearly testify this

creed.

As I offer this book to you as a clarification of our

most holy belief, I raise my heart to the Lord to make it a

source of blessing for many people, and I pray that it will

open for them the gate of true belief. Then they can enjoy

the love of God, the Father, and the blessing of the only

Son, and the fellowship and the gift of the Holy Spirit: the

holy Trinity of the only God to whom belongs the ever-

lasting glory. Amen.

Archpriest Zachariah Butrus

Misr-Al-Djadida

Be ready always to give an answer to every man that

asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with

meekness and fear. I Peter 3:15

Chapter I

THE ALL-GATHERING UNITY

OF GOD

IN THE HOLY TRINITY

The Unity of God in Christianity

The Holy Trinity in Christianity

The Necessity of the Trinity in the Unity

— 9 —

The Unity of God in Christianity

We Christians believe in one God who has no partner.

He is infinite, filling the heavens and the earth. He is the

creator of all, Eternal, and Everlasting. His kingdom is

without end.

This creed is very clear in the holy Gospel. The

Christian canon of belief is what follows.

1. The Lord Jesus Himself taught this belief when a

Jew came to ask Him about the greatest commandment.

He answered him, "Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is

one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all

your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,

and with all your strength" (Mark 12:29-30). This is the

first commandment. It is an echo and confirmation of

Deuteronomy 6:4-9. If this commandment had been

written in the language of the Kurän, it would have been

"God, our God, is the only (unique) God, the everlasting

God."

2. The apostle Paul clarified this saying, "Is God just

for the Jews and not for Gentiles as well? Yes, for Gentiles

also because God is one" (Romans 3:29-30).

3. And the apostle James expressed the same belief

saying, "You believe that God is one. You do well" (James

2:19).

4. The Christian creed was taken from these texts

along with others in the Bible. The Church has been

— 10 —

avowing these beliefs for generations saying, "Truly we

believe in one God... Creator of heavens and earth, and

the visible and invisible." Hence, my dear friend, you

perceive that we Christians believe in one God and not

three gods. We shall clarify the meaning of the Father, the

Son, and the Holy Spirit in the discussion about the holy

Trinity of Christianity.

The Holy Trinity

in Christianity

The doctrine of the holy Trinity in no way means the

existence of three gods as some people wrongly imagine.

The meaning of this doctrine is — God is one...

Existing in Himself, so He declared Himself as

the Father

Speaking His word, so He declared Himself as the

Son, the Word,

Alive in his spirit, so He declared Himself as

the Holy Spirit.

It should not be understood from these names that there is

a bodily relationship as in human terms, but rather it has a

spiritual meaning.

These names are not established or invented by man,

but they are the words of divine inspiration in the Holy

Book, as you will see from the following references:

1. The Lord Jesus said to His disciples, "Go there-

fore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in

the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit"

(Matthew 28:19). Monotheism is clear in His words,

"baptize them in the name." He did not say baptize them

in the names of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

Yet the Trinity is clearly presented in His words, "the

Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit."

2. The apostle John very clearly confirms this under-

standing, "Those who testify in heaven are three, the

Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit and these three are

one" (I John 5:8).

When comparing the two verses, you find the names

of the holy Trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

This is the holy Trinity in the only God in whom we

believe.

The Necessity of the Trinity in the Unity

In summary, the necessity of the Trinity in the unity

is clear from the above references and discussion.

The one God, creator of all living things, must have a

personal existence Himself.

The one God, who created man with the ability to

speak, must Himself also speak the word.

— 12 —

The one God, who created life in every living being,

must Himself be alive in the spirit.

Therefore, it is certain that a holy Trinity should be in the

only God as we have already clarified. This is our true

belief: God is one in the Trinity and not three gods.

— 14 —

Chapter II

THE TESTIMONY OF THE KURÄN

FOR THE UNITY

OF THE HOLY TRINITY

The Kuranic Testimony of Christian Monotheism

The Kuranic Testimony of the Christian Holy Trinity

The Kuranic Testimony that Christ is the Word of God

The Testimony of the Kurän for the Holy Spirit

— 15 —

The Kuranic Testimony of Christian Monotheism

The Kurän testifies that Christians are monotheistic

and are not infidels. The following are examples of this

testimony.

1. Sürat AlcAnkabut, the Spider: 46 — "Do not

argue with the people of the Book except in what is

better... and say we believed in what was sent down to us

and to you, and our God and your God is the same, is

one." Thus, the Kurän testifies that we Christians, "people

of the Book," worship one God.

2. Surat AI cImrän, The Family of cImran: 113-114

"Among the people of the Book is a nation which recites

the verses of God during the night, and they worship God

and believe in Him and in the Day of Judgment, and they

order doing good and prohibit abomination and they

hasten charity." This reference clearly asserts that Christ-

ians, "people of the Book," believe in one God; they recite

His book which was in their hands in Muhammad's days,

and they worship the one God in their services and

prayers.

3. Sürat AI Mä'ida, The Banquet: 82 — "For sure

you will find the bitterest enemies of those who believe

(Muslims) are the Jews and those who do not believe in our

God. And you will find the closest friends to believers to be

those who said 'We are Nazarenes,' as among them there

are pastors and monks and they are not proud." It is clear

— 16 —

that Nazarenes are not polytheists, since polytheists and

Jews are the bitter enemies of Muslims, but Nazarenes are

their closest friends.

4. Sürat Älclmrän, The Family ofclmrän: — "As

God said, O Jesus, I'll make you die, and I'll raise you up

to me, and I'll purify you from the infidels, and I'll make

those who followed you higher than the infidels until the

Day of Judgment." Hence, it is clear to you that the

followers of Christ, or Christians, are not infidels. On the

contrary, God distinguished Christians from infidels and

raised them above infidels.

The testimony of the Kurän concerning Christians

has proved with certainty that they worship the one God

and are not polytheists.

The Kuranic Testimony of the Christian Holy Trinity

Perhaps you are amazed, my dear friend, that the

Kurän mentions the Trinity of the one God exactly as

Christians believe in it. We have already seen that the

Trinity of Christianity is the nature of God, His Word, and

His Spirit. This is the same Trinity that the Kurän mention-

ed, "But Jesus Christ, son of Mary is the messenger of God

and His word and spirit of Him that He gave to Mary"

— 17 —

(Surat AI Nisa^3, The Women: 171). In this verse it is clear

that God has

a personality — "messenger of God"

a word — "and his word"

a spirit — "and a spirit from him."

This testimony of the Kurän for the creed of the Trinity is

what we Christians proclaim and no more. It does not

proclaim polytheism, but rather it proclaims that there is

no God but Him.

The Kuranic Testimony that Christ is the Word of God

The Kurän testifies very clearly that Christ is the

Word of God. The following Kuränic references are

examples.

1. Sürat AI Nisa°, The Women: 171 — "Jesus Christ,

the son of Mary, is God's messenger and his word."

2. Sürat Älclmrän, The Family of cImrän: 139 —

"...God proclaims to you Yahya (John the Baptist)

supporting a word from God..." The Imän Abu AI

Sucüd commented on the phrase "supporting a word

from God," that isclsa, may he be blessed, by saying:

"... it was said that he (John the Baptist) was the first to

— 18 —

believe in him (Jesus) and to support his being the Word of

God and a Spirit from Him. Al Sadi said, "The mother of

Yahya (John) meeting the mother of cIsä (Jesus) asked:

'Mary, have you felt my pregnancy?' Mary answered, 'I

too am pregnant.' She (John's mother) then said: 'I find

that what is in my belly worships what is in your belly."

From here the above utterance of God 'supporting a word

from God' comes clear" (Abu AI Sucüd Muhammad Ibn

Muhammad Al_cAmadi's Commentary, page 233).

3. Sürat Älclmrän, The Family ofclmrän:45 —

"The angels said to Mary, 'Allah proclaims to you a word

from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus the son of

Mary." The English translation uses the relative pronoun

whose in referring to a masculine personal pronoun in the

Arabic original. This indicates the fact that a word here

does not mean a simple word of language but a person.

You also find this clarified in the saying of one of the

Muslim scholars (Al Shaikh Muhyl Al Dm al cArabi), who

said: "The word is God in theophany... and it is the one

divine person and not any other" (in his book "Fusils al

Hukm", part II, p. 35). He also said that the word is the

divine person" (page 13). Isn't that exactly what was said

about the Lord Jesus in the Gospel of John? "In the

beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and

the Word was God... And the Word became flesh" (John

1:1,14). In the Arabic translation of this verse, we again

find (in conformity with the Greek original) the same

— 19 —

usage of the term word with the pronouns referring to it.

Word refers to a person. This is clear from John's specifica-

tions: "The Word was God" and "the Word became

flesh."

The Testimony of the Kuran for the Holy Spirit

Many verses of the Kurän mention that the Holy

Spirit is the Spirit of God and that He supported the Lord

Jesus with it. This becomes clear from the following:

Sürat AI Ma'ida, the Banquet: 110 — "Allah said to Jesus,

'Jesus, son of Mary, remember the favour I have bestowed

on you and your mother, how I strengthened you with the

Holy Spirit, so that you preached to men in your cradle

and in the prime of manhood."

The theological scholar Al-Shaikh Muhammad al

Hariri al Bayyumi says, "The Holy Spirit, is the spirit of

Allah" ("Kitäb al Ruh wa Mähiyyatuha," p. 53).

From all that preceded, my friend, the testimony of

the Kurän and the theologians of Islam for the creed of the

Trinity in whom we Christians believe, becomes clear.

20 —

Chapter III

THE NAMES

OF THE HOLY TRINITY

The Father

The Son

The Holy Spirit

— 21 —

THE NAMES OF THE HOLY TRINITY

We learned from the previous discussion that Christ-

ianity believes in one God, who is in a Trinity: God's

person, His Word, and His Spirit. This Trinity has other

names: the Father (God's person), the Son (Word of God),

and the Holy Spirit (Spirit of God).

Some ignorant people make objections to this naming

for they think that it means procreation and sexual

relationship. God forbid Christianity from this under-

standing ! Therefore, we shall clarify the intention of this

naming.

The Father

To Christians the meaning of the word Father does

not mean an actual physical father. First, it has a meta-

phorical meaning. God is the source and the creator of all

creatures. So He is called the Father of all creatures,

especially the intellectual ones. As the prophet Moses said,

"Is He not your father and your possessor? He made you

and brought you up" (Deuteronomy 32:6) or as Isaiah the

prophet said, "O Lord, Thou art our Father" (Isaiah

64:8). In the New Testament the apostle Paul declared

"Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom

are all things, and we exist for Him" (I Corinthians 8:6).

— 22 —

The word father in this context is stated in much the same

way as used in the Arabic "Father of blessing" (Abu al

Khair Abu al Barakät) and "Father of God" (Abu al

Fadl), and others. These should not be understood in

terms of a procreator or actual parentage but rather

metaphorically.

Secondly, there is the legal meaning. In the case of

adoption, the word father does not mean that he gave birth

to the adopted son, rather he accepted him as a son and

granted him all legal rights. He considered himself

responsible and obligated to him as a real father. The

apostle Paul speaks about this, "You have received a spirit

of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!"

(Romans 8:15) and in Galatians 4:4, he uses the term "to

obtain adoption." So God's fatherhood in our adoption is

based on divine legal rights.

Thirdly, there is the essential meaning. This is the

meaning which can only be applied to God's Trinity. May

He be exalted! As a word bursts from the mouth, the son

emanated from the Father before all ages. Jesus who is the

Son became flesh through the blessed Mary because He

was from the very beginning a spirit from God the Spirit. It

is stated in John's Gospel, "And we beheld His glory, the

glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace

and truth" (John 1:14). Jesus viewed God as His Father,

in this unique, essential meaning which cannot be applied

to any one else. "Neither does anyone know the Father,

— 23 —

except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to

reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27).

Lastly, there is the spiritual meaning. After God had

poured His Holy Spirit into the hearts of all believers

through His Son, they were born again, a spiritual birth.

They were converted by this friendly, divine Spirit. These

believers "were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the

flesh, nor of the will of man but of God" (John 1:13).

Jesus Christ taught us to exclaim, "Our Father who art in

heaven, holy would be Thy name." It is not the right of any

man to call himself a son of God and call God his Father,

unless he obtains legal adoption. The anointment of the

Holy Spirit reveals to us the secret of the name of God the

Father. We do not believe in the fatherhood of God in a

physical sense, but in purity of holiness, we believe in the

birth of Christ and the descent and indwelling of the Holy

Spirit in believers.

The Son

When we say Christ is the Son of God, this does not

mean that Christ came by means of intermarriage. Son is

not intended to mean a physical relationship or birth by

procreation. We only say Christ is the Son of God to mean

that Christ came from God. He is related to no physical

father so He is related to God. The word son as used in

— 24 —

common language, in the Kuran, and in prophetic con-

versation does not indicate physical breeding.

Son in Common Language

In many linguistic expressions, the word son is not

used to indicate physical generation. For example, we say

that students are sons of knowledge; citizens are sons of the

homeland; an Egyptian is a son of the Nile; and an Arab is a

son of the desert.

Son as Used in the Kurän

The word son is occasionally used in the Kurän when

it does not mean physical generation. This you can observe

in the following references.

Sürat AI Bakara, The Cow: 214 — "Whatever you

bestow in charity must go to your parents and to your

kinsfolk, to the orphan and to the poor man and to the

stranger." Interpreters say that stranger (Ibn al Sabil)

indicates the traveller. AI Imän al Nasafi and Shaikh

Hasanayn Makhluf said, "He was called a stranger (Ibn al

Sabfl) for permanently sticking to the road."1

Son in Muslim Tradition

In a Muslim tradition originating from God (Hadith

Kudsi), it is stated, "The rich are my agents and the poor

are members of my family (my sons)." Do we understand

1 Al Nasafi, Commentary (Tafslr) part I, p. 86 and Shaikh Hasanayn Makhlüf,

"Sufuwwat al Bayän li MaFäni al Kurän" part 1, p. 80.

— 25 —

by this that God married a wife and gave birth to children

who are the poor?! Surely not!

Therefore, the term son of God does not mean pro-

creation in human terms, but rather, this expression was

intended to attribute or relate Christ to God, and not

infidelity or partnership with God! For sonship originates

in the spiritual fatherhood of God. God is the Father and

Christ is the Son, only in a special, unique meaning which

does not apply to any other.

The Holy Spirit

As previously discussed, the Holy Spirit is God's

Spirit and is mentioned in the Kurän in many places.

Surat YOsuf, Joseph: 87 — "Do not despair of Allah's

spirit; none but unbelievers despair of Allah's spirit."

Sürat AI Bakara, The Cow: 87 and 253 — "We gave

Jesus the son of Mary veritable signs and strengthened him

with the Holy Spirit."

Al Imam al Nasafi said "by the Holy Spirit is meant,

the sanctified spirit... or the name of God the greatest."2

Sürat AI Mä^3 ida, the Banquet: 110 — "Jesus, son of

Mary remember the favour I have bestowed on you and on

your mother; how I have strengthened you with the Holy

Spirit."

2 Al Nasafi, Commentary (Tafsir) part I, p. 56.

— 26 —

AI Sayyid cAbdul Karim al Djabali said about the

Holy Spirit that He is not created, and what is not created

is eternal and the eternal is God, alone.3

Also al Shaikh Muhammad al Harira al Bayyumi

said, "The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and the Spirit of

God is not created."4

This is the holy Trinity in one God in whom we

believe, and this is the secret of naming it as the Father, the

Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The Father is the title of the essential Fatherhood of

God.

The Son is the title of the incarnated Word of God.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God Himself.

3 "Madjailat Kulliyyat al Adäb" (Magazine of the College of Arts) 1934.

4 Al Shaikh Muhammad al Hariri al Bayyümi, "AI Ruh wa Mähiyyatuha" (The

Spirit and Its Nature) p. 53.

— 27 —

— 28

Chapter IV

THE COUNTERFEIT TRINITY

The Trinity of the Maryamiyya Sect

The Christian Attitude towards this

Counterfeit Trinity

The Attitude of Islam

— 29 —

The Trinity of the Maryamiyya Sect

Before Islam in the fifth century A.D., a heretical

doctrine appeared. (A heretical doctrine is an untrue and

strange teaching of an infidel or a heretic.) The adherents

of this doctrine were heathens who embraced Christianity.

As pagans they worshipped the planet Venus and said that

it was "the queen of heaven." After embracing Christianity

they tried to associate what they had worshipped with

Christian doctrine. They considered Mary as "queen of

heaven" or "goddess of heaven" instead of Venus.

Consequently, they called themselves Mariamists.' They

came to believe that there are three gods: God, Mary, and

Christ.

The Christian Attitude towards this

Counterfeit Trinity

The Christian Church fought against this heresy as

soon as it appeared, opposed their teaching, and deprived

them of the communion of faith and excommunicated all

their followers. By the end of the seventh century A.D.,

this doctrine was blotted out, and its adherents had

' cAwad Sim'än, "Altäh Dhätuhu wa Nav/u WahdSniyatihi" (God's Essence

and the Nature of His Unity) p. 127; Ahmad al Makrizi, "Kitäb al Kawl al

Ibrizi" (Book of Golden Sayings), p. 26.

— 30 —

disappeared completely. The Church confirmed its most

holy belief that the blessed Mary is a human being and not

a goddess. The Church continued to affirm that God is

one, with only one essence, speaking the Word, and alive

in Spirit. The Word of God dwelt in the body of the Lord

Christ. "Great is the secret of godliness, that God appear-

ed in the flesh" (I Timothy 3:16).

The Attitude of Islam

When Islam appeared in the seventh century A. D., it

also found some adherents of this Mariamist doctrine

before it had disappeared completely. Islam fought their

doctrine and their trinity (not the Trinity of Christianity).

This is clear from the following verses.

SOrat AI Mä°ida, The Banquet: 116 — "Then Allah

will say, 'Jesus, son of Mary, did you ever say to mankind,

'Worship me and my mother as gods beside Allah?" It is

clear that the objection here is intended to be against the

Mariamists who proclaimed that Mary is a goddess, and

this is what Christianity also denies.

Sürat AI Ancäm, Cattle: 101 — "Lord, creator of the

heavens and the earth, how does he have a son when he did

not have a wife?!" Likewise, this verse objects to the

Mariamist teaching that Mary is a goddess, that she

— 31 —

became God's wife, and that through her He gave birth to

a child.

Sürat AI Ikhläs, Faithfulness — "God is one. God

the eternal, He did not give birth nor was He born, nor has

He an equal." This is the answer to the Mariamist doctrine

which purported, "There are three gods — the Father, the

mother and the son, and that this son came by procreation."

Sürat AI Mä° ida, The Banquet: 73 — "Unbelievers

are those that say, 'Allah is one of three.' There is but one

God." This confirms what was said and denies what

Mariamists purport — the existence of three gods!

You can see clearly from this discussion that Islam

did not fight the belief of Christianity that God is one. He

has one nature, speaking the Word, alive in Spirit, as the

Kurän says, "Jesus the son of Mary is the messenger of

God and His word... and a Spirit from Him" (Sürat AI

Nisä^3, The Women: 171). But Islam fights another trinity,

the trinity of the Mariamist doctrine. They fight those who

consider the blessed Mary a goddess who gave birth to

Christ by means of procreation after God had married

her.

Christianity abhorred and violently fought against

this concept and excommunicated its adherents. As for the

principle belief of Christianity, it is the belief in one God in

a Trinity: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit.

— 32 —

Chapter V

THE SHINING OF GRACE

The Proof of the Spirit

Groping in Darkness

The Grace of Revelation

Overwhelming Compassion

The Light of Faith

The Greatest Proof

— 33 —

The Proof of the Spirit

Dear reader, the discussion thus far has presented

intellectual and logical evidence in considering the truth of

the Trinity and monotheism in Christian belief. In other

words, human wisdom has been the basis of discussion.

However, the apostle Paul shows us that faith is not by

human wisdom, but rather by the proof and power of the

spirit. He says, "And my message and my preaching were

not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration

of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not rest

on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God"

(I Corinthians 2:4,5). So pardon me, my dear friend, for

resorting to human wisdom and let me talk to you about

the proof of spirit and power.

The proof of the spirit is in the heart and not in the

intellect. "For with the heart man believes, resulting in

salvation" (Romans 10:10). Heart faith is the result of

grace shining'into the heart of man disclosing to him the

secret of faith, the love of God, and His wonderful work

for him. This made Him take the form of man and walk

the road of Calvary, carrying the cross of shame to redeem

sinners like me. Do know, dear brother, that the Lord is

ready to shine into your heart in order to reveal to you His

glory, for He loves you personally despite your sins, your

evils, and your blasphemy against Him. He is prepared to

pardon, forgive, and forget your sins. Just come to Him in

— 34 —

repentance and submission. Give over your heart and life

to Him. You can be completey sure that He will not refuse

you. He said in His true promise, "And the one who comes

to Me I will certainly not cast out" (John 6:37). Come to

Him now and throw your sins in front of Him, and He will

cleanse you from every sin. "And the blood of Jesus His

Son cleanses us from all sin" (I John 1:7). Pray to Him,

"O Lord, remove the darkness of my heart; light my path;

show me Your way; protect me from the evil one, so that

he will not trouble me."

Next, I shall present, my dear friend, some spiritual

facts which I hope God will use to save your soul and be a

blessing to your life. Amen.

Groping in Darkness

There is no doubt that reliance on mere intellect to

perceive the facts of faith is impossible. Divine inspiration

says, "Can you discover the depths of God? Can you

discover the limits of the Almighty? It is high as the

heavens, what can you do? Deeper than Hell, what can

you know?" (Job 11:7-8).

How then can a finite mind perceive the infinite God?

The wise man said, "You search for the Lord who controls

all, but you will never understand the secret of His wisdom,

because you will never know the depth of man's heart, and

— 35 —

his thoughts you do not know, so how do you search for

God who made all these things and how can you know His

mind and perceive His thoughts?" The words of the

apostle Paul confirm, "O the depth of the riches both of

the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable

are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who

has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His

counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34). If some people do not

beware of this fact, they will stray from faith and will be

lost in the gloomy darkness. Here are some examples from

the areas of philosophy, Christianity, and Islam.

Philosophy

Philosophy relies on thought and deals with abstracts,

and so we find contradictions and differences among the

efforts of philosophers down through the centuries. Among

philosophers there are believers and unbelievers. The

English philosopher Carlyle (1795-1881) is an example of

man groping in the darkness of human thought. At one

time Carlyle was a believer. Then he read the philosophy

of Hume and other skeptics. He was convinced of their

opinions, and his faith disappeared. Yet while he was still

devoted to searching and scrutinizing, he read Shiller,

Goethe, and Fichte and was dissuaded by their opinions;

he changed his attitude and came back to faith. Returning to

faith, Carlyle became certain of this everlasting fact, which

he approved after his long search and study: "Mind is no

— 36 —

longer the source of true knowledge, rather the heart has

become that source."1

Christianity

Many heretics, people who have left the Christian

faith, wanted to subject the facts of faith to intellectual

standards. They threw themselves into a perilous situation.

Such men were Arius, Macedonius, and Nestorius. Arius

did not accept the possibility of the appearance of God in a

human body. He denied the deity of Christ. Then the

patriarchs of the Church and its bishops from all parts of

the world held a meeting and debated this subject in

accordance with the teachings of the Holy Bible. They

condemned and exiled Arius. They rejected his teachings

as contradictory to the faith.

Islam

Many different sects appeared in Islam with different

beliefs.

For example, AI Khawäridj, AI Shica and Al

Nusayriyya consider cAli ibn Abi Talib to be a god.

Al Djabriyyah, Al Muetazila and Al Kadariyya

denied the qualities of God.

The al Ashäcira al Mutridiyya, Al Zaidiyya, al

Imämiyya, and al Ismäciliyya, say the world has two

1 Yüsuf Karam, History of Modern Philosophy, p. 322.

— 37 —

directors. The first is God and the second is the soul, and

they allow unlawful matters.

AI Bahä^3iyya consider their leader, Bahä-Alläh, a

god.

The Druzes consider "AI Häkim bin 3Amr Allah al

Fätimi " to be a God.

Does not all this show that the mind is in need of the

light of grace and the light of faith?

The Grace of Revelation

No man is able by his power, his intellect, er his

wisdom to come to know God. This problem is in need of

divine declaration so that in the darkness of his thought,

man can know the secret which is concealed from limited

human minds. Some philosophers knew the importance of

this grace and called it the theory of enlightenment. A

philospher once said, "It is only possible to know God

thanks to the light of God. God is the hidden teacher. He is

the true light that enlightens every man in this world."2

The Holy Bible speaks about these two subjects: the

inability of man and the necessity of revelation.

The Bible describes the inability of human intellect to

perceive divine matters in the book of Job. "It is as high as

2 Yüsuf Karam, History of European Philosophy in the Middle Ages, p. 32.

— 38 —

heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst

thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth,

and broader than the sea" (Job 11:8-9). Job also said,

"Search for the Lord, controller of all, and you do not

perceive the secret of His wisdom... Then how do you

search for God and know His mind and perceive His

thoughts." The apostle Paul said, "Oh the depth of the

riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! For

who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His

counselor?" (Romans 11:33-34). Hence, it is indeed clear

that man is unable to know the matters pertaining to God.

We are in need of the grace of revelation or "the light

of God" to reveal to us the secret of His wisdom, as was

said in the Bible, "And that He would show you the secrets

of wisdom" (Job 11:6).

My dear friend, God is prepared to declare Himself to

you. You can see this fact in the Lord's prayer, "I praise

Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst

hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst

reveal them to babes" (Matthew 11:25). Perhaps you

perceive from this prayer that the light of grace is declared

to simple people who are referred to as "babes." Those

who want to understand those secrets by reasoning and

wisdom will not obtain understanding. God the Father

declared the secret of faith to the apostle Peter. Peter said,

"Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God," and Jesus

answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjonas, because

— 39 —

flesh and blood did nor reveal this to you, but My Father

who is in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-17).

My brother, Jesus Christ Himself is prepared to

reveal His nature to you and to reveal the secret of faith. He

says, "And no one knows who the Son is except the

Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone

to whom the Son wills to reveal Him" (Luke 10:22). The

Son kindly revealed His secret to the apostle Paul. Paul

said, "For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught

it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ"

(Galatians 1:12).

The Holy Spirit with its full grace is now working in

the world revealing the way of faith to every man, so that

he can enjoy the fellowship of grace and know the Lord

well. This is what the apostle Paul clarified saying, "Yet we

do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom,

however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who

are passing way; but we speak God's wisdom in a mystery,

the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the

ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of

this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they

would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is

written, 'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not

heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all

that God has prepared for those who love him.' For to us

God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit

searches all things, even the depths of God. For who

— 40 —

among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit

of man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no

one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have re-

ceived, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is

from God, that we might know the things freely given to us

by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught

by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit,

combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a

natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of

God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot

understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.

But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is

appraised by no man. For who has known the mind of the

Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind

of Christ" (I Corinthians 1:6-16).

These verses clarify to you an extremely important

and essential point: it is necessary to change the natural

man to a spiritual man so that he can accept and know the

affairs pertaining to God. Ask the Lord to convert you

and reveal Himself to you, and He will surely respond

because He wants all men to be saved and to come unto

the knowledge of the truth.

Overwhelming Compassion

A well-known philosopher said, "Man is unable by

his natural power to attain the nature of God, but God is

— 41 —

He that attracts man to Himself and raises him to a

brilliancy that no mind can perceive."3 In fact, no one can

come to God unless He attracts him. As the Lord Christ,

may He be glorified, said, "No man comes to Me unless the

Father attracts him." When the bride of Solomon knew

that secret she cried, "Draw me after you, and we will run

after you" (Song of Solomon 1:4). The Lord draws us to

Himself by His love and His affection. When the human

soul remembers the fullness of God's love for it, it becomes

fascinated by His love; the apostle John says, "We love

Him because He first loved us" (I John 4:19).

Are you not aware of what God's love has done for

you? The apostle Paul says, " But God demonstrates His

own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Love caused Him to

take a human body and walk on the road to Calvary,

carrying the cross, to pay my debt and yours. The punish-

ment of sin that we deserve is death. With a wonderful

secret, Christ enters the frightening grave and extinguishes

the blazing fire, and opens for us the door of hope and the

way of glory. When He smashed the power of death and

the chains of sins by His resurrection, He went away

bearing a marvelous love to prepare a place for us in His

kingdom which He was pleased to give us (Luke 12:32).

Yusuf Karam, History of European Philosophy in the Middle Ages, p. 54.

— 42 —

The Lover will soon come to take us, "That where I am,

there you may be also" (John 14:2-3).

O divine love! What a privilege we were given and

what dignity we were granted, and by what affection you

attracted us. Brother, you will not know God but through

love. Worship is not mere teachings, beliefs, theories or

religious duties; but rather, it is extreme love at its highest

degree. God is not a "picture" of a being made or

imagined by human minds. He cannot be defined by

religious men and intellectually analyzed by theories of

philosophers and theologians in terms of their opinions

and understandings. But as the apostle said, "God is love

and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God

abides in him" (I John 4:16).

Has your heart been bound by the love of God? My

dear friend, do not be embarrassed with theories and

debates, but it is enough to do as St. Augustine said, "Love

and do whatever you wish, because God is love."

The Light of Faith

When grace shines in the heart of man, he becomes

enlightened by the light of faith. It is impossible for man to

attain true faith without the light of grace, as the Bible

clarifies in Isaiah 60:1-3, "Arise, shine; for your light has

come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For

behold, darkness will cover the earth, and deep darkness

— 43 —

the peoples; But the Lord will rise upon you, and His glory

will appear upon you. And nations will come to your light,

and kings to the brightness of your rising."

The apostle Paul said, "For God, who said, 'Light

shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in

our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of

God in the face of Christ" (II Corinthians 4:6).

Grace has shone in the life of many people including

Saul of Tarsus and Shaikh Mikhä°il Mansür.

Saul of Tarsus was a fanatic Jew. He persecuted

Christians and dragged them to jails, and talked about

himself saying, "I had to do many things hostile to the

name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this is just what I did in

Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in

prisons, having received authority from the chief priests,

but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote

against them. And as I punished them often in all the

synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being

furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to

foreign cities. While thus enraged as I was journeying to

Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief

priests, at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from

heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and

those who were journeying with me. And when we had all

fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the

Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

It is hard for you to kick against the goads.' And I said,

— 44 —

'Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus

whom you are persecuting. But arise, and stand on your

feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint

you a minister and a witness not only to the things which

you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear

to you; delivering you from the Jewish people and from

the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you; to open their eyes

so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the

dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive

forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who

have been sanctified by faith in Me."

Thus grace shone and Saul was enlightened by the

light of faith, and later he became the apostle Paul,

philosopher of Christianity.

Grace also shone in Shaikh Mikhä^3il Mansür's life.

Here is a summary of what his brother, Shaikh Kämil

Mansür, wrote about him. Mikhä^3il, son of Mansür, was

born in the city Suhädj in March 1871. He received lessons

in religion from the religious leaders. After these teachings,

he spent his nights in deep search for divine secrets.

In 1893 he had the idea to discuss the Christian

religion, and asked permission from his professor to argue

or debate with Christians; but he did not approve, for fear

that his student might become arrogant and proud. Never-

theless, he began debating and arguing with men of

religion, and the debates were frequently lengthy and vain.

One day someone said to him, "Everyone should ask his

— 45 —

God for guidance, and I advise you to ask God to lead you

to truth," but he mocked at these words saying to him,

"Do I doubt my faith? God forbid!" But having left him,

he thought of what that man had asked him to do, "I

advise you to seek guidance from God for truth." The

grace of the Holy Spirit began to work in his heart. The

stage of doubt grew to the degree that it seemed that he

was afflicted with a mental disease. He appeared pale, and

he devoted himself to reading the Holy Book, searching

for divine right... After a period of time, signs of pleasure

and delight appeared on his face because the light of the

Redeemer overcame him and the sun of righteousness

enlightened his soul.

Christ gloriously appeared to him with his superior

love, supreme principles, and the beauty of His teachings.

He learned that He alone is the way, the truth, and the life,

and that man is sinful, ignorant, and enslaved, and can

only be saved by Christ. My memory has forgotten many

things. However, I have not and will not forget the great

joy that filled his heart, the glorious happiness that radiat-

ed from his face, and the tears that drenched his clothes

because of tremendous joy, when I first asked him for a

Gospel. It is true to say that at the beginning, I was

ashamed of him, and sometimes I asked people to pray for

him, so that he might change and return. Sometimes I

looked for the intelligent and famous in education in order

to lead them to him to bring him back. At other times, I

— 46 —

resorted to some wicked people to threaten him. But I

found out that he was firm like a high mountain in Jesus

Christ, finding every torture bearable in His love. I

thoroughly considered what was the secret. I knew very

well that he had no worldly purpose. His loyalty to

Christianity was clear to me; and so, I found myself

impelled to request the Gospel from him, and so he met

me with that joy. We thank God because he was a cause

for guiding many sinners, the first of whom is me, to the

glory of the Redeemer."

The Greatest Proof

When man is drawn by the power of grace to the fold

of faith, he is no longer in need of an evidence or a logical

proof to confirm the truths of faith, rather the testimony is

now in his heart, for he realizes that God lives within him,

and He changed him. He no longer searches for God

outside himself. Augustine, the well-known philosopher,

having accepted faith said, "Lo, I have found you and

perceived you. O! how great is my fortune and how lucky I

am! I was looking for You in outer matters! But that

searching was in vain, for I found you in my soul, in my

heart! And here I am grasping You and seeing You."4

4 Augustine, Confessions

— 47 —

The believer is he who sees the Lord and is clothed

with the Lord in his life which He completely converted.

He changed him from a lustful man, a slave to sin, into a

spiritual, holy-loving man. The believer sees the Lord in

his heart now cleansed from the filth of sin, "Blessed are

the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

After the work of grace, faith is no longer an intellectual

faith believing in invisible matters, lacking evidence and

proofs, but a faith of experience, that changes the wolf into

a lamb; this is the greatest evidence and proof for the truth

of faith.

The Experience of the Saint Müsa al Aswad

Saint Müsa AI Aswad was a savage killer and a

heathen leader of a bandit gang. Grace began to shine into

his heart. So he went to a wise, old believer and told him

saying, "I have heard that you are the righteous worship-

per of God; that is why I fled and came to you, so that the

God who saved you will save me. Tell me and inform me

about God." The saint asked him, "What was your God?"

He answered, "I do not know any God except the sun, for

when I looked at it, I found out that it enlightened the

world with its light; the moon and the stars as well, which

have strange secrets; also the sea and its power... But all

these did not satisfy my soul, and I knew that there is

another God greater than all these whom I do not know. I

said, 'O Lord! who is living in heaven, guide of all

— 48 —

creation, lead me to you now, and let me know what

satisfies You.' Therefore, I came to you, so that you

inform me, and ask God for me so that He may not have

wrath on me for my evil deeds."5

The old saint started preaching the words of God to

him, and talked to him about judgment, salvation, and

God's love for sinners. The work of grace was perfected in

his heart, and the Lord shone in his heart, and the tears of

repentance came down, and his face beamed with the light

of faith. Müsa, the savage, became a saint, one of the

greatest men of faith.

Who changed this wolf into a lamb? Indeed it is the

marvelous work of grace. Who made him understand

faith? God penetrated his life and the touch of His

Almighty hand changed him completely.

The Experience of Jibrän.

Jibrän grew up in a fanatic religious family and his

father was in charge of teaching him the origins of religion.

As soon as the father died, the young man threw away the

restrictions of this background and sank into crime. To

solve this problem his family put him in a boarding school.

In that school there was a student called Michael, who

suffered under Jibrän's teasing. When the day of a school

celebration arrived, Jibrän, wanting to really trouble

5 Archives of the Coptic Museum, p. 496.

— 49 —

Michael, thought of making him carry all the necessary

chairs. He made the school administration issue an order

for that. He went to look for Michael, and he saw him

jumping over the school wall and enter a forest near the

school. He assumed that Michael was evading his task. So

he followed him, and saw him entering a place in which the

branches made a small hut.

Jibrän slyly hid behind a tree in order to discover the

secret of this hut. Behold, he saw Michael lighting a little

candle. Then he knelt on his knees, and Jibrän heard him

speaking in a low voice. Then he saw him taking out a

small book from his pocket and reading it. After he

finished reading, Jibrän saw him raising his face upwards,

and he noticed tears flowing from his eyes and his voice

choked with crying. Having finished, he extinguished the

candle and went back to school. Jibrän followed him at a

distance.

When Michael entered the school, Jibrän followed

him and grasped his shoulders and asked him, "Where

were you?" The answer was, "I was worshipping my

Lord." He said to him, "You are a liar. I saw you and

followed you from the minute you jumped over the wall

until you entered the hut and began to sing and read in a

small book, and you cried. These are the symptoms of

madness." Michael answered quickly, "I am not mad, and

I was not singing, but I was chanting to the Lord. What I

read was the Gospel. Afterwards I prayed to my Lord to

— 50 —

forgive my sins and help me in my life." Jibran said, "Can

I see the Gospel?" He gave it to him, but Jibrän had

learned from his father that he who touches the Gospel of

the Nazarenes, his hand inevitably will be paralyzed or he

will become insane. But the scene that Jibrän had witness-

ed had attracted him to learn the secret of this devotion

which impels a man to enter the wood and worship. He

grasped the Gospel with the tips of his fingers, bearing in

mind that if he felt paralysis, he would throw it and escape

danger. But he did not feel anything of what he was told,

and he took the Gospel and asked Michael's permission to

read it. Jibrän was alone all night reading the Gospel, but

he could not understand anything.

At dawn he went to Michael and woke him up and

asked him about what he did not understand. Michael

began to explain, but Jibrän still could not understand. So

Michael closed the book and told him, "I will tell you in

brief, the contents of the Gospel.

The first truth is — Man is a sinner. You and I

are sinners, too.

The second truth is — The punishment for our sins

is an everlasting torture in

hell.

The third truth is — Because of his love, God sent

Christ to redeem us from the

— 51 —

punishment of sin, and so He

was crucified instead of us.

The fourth truth is — If you believe this and repent

of your sins, the Lord will

accept you and save you from

the everlasting fire of hell..."

These words were simple, but anointed with grace and

were said from experience. Right then the hand of God

worked in Jibrän's heart, and there was a miracle. The face

of the young man brightened, and he said, "I believe," and

they both prayed. Events and experiences continued in the

life of the ill-mannered Jibrän and changed him to a

gentle-hearted, blessed servant in the Lord's vineyard. He

became a cause of blessing for many souls of believers and

others.

— 52 —

This is the miraculous work of grace and the greatest

proof of the truth of our holy faith. I desire that God

would work in you, dear reader, so that you become a son

of the Lord God, and a faithful witness to the Lord who

loved and redeemed us by His blood.

SUMMARY

Perhaps you have perceived, dear beloved brother,

the meaning of the Trinity for us Christians. Perhaps you

have become certain that we do not worship three gods.

God forbid! We only belief in one God, existing in

Himself, speaking His word, alive in His soul. His Word

dwelled in the blessed Mary and took from her a human

body, who is the Lord Christ, who lived on our earth, and

completed our salvation.

In our second book about "Christ the Son of God",

we will talk in detail about our faith in the living Christ,

and the secret of the divine incarnation. The second book

is similar to this book.

My beloved brother, I pray to the Lord to make His

light shine in your heart, to declare to you this miraculous

secret, because the matters of God are only perceived by

the Spirit of God. Would that you would ask Him, first to

convert you, and qualify you to accept the work of grace in

your life, so that you become a son of God, and a member

of this godly nature. Then by the Spirit you will perceive

what the mind is unable to perceive. God protect you and

be with you!

— 53 —

— 54 —

Quiz

God is One in the Holy Trinity

Dear brother, man can only express clearly and easily

say what he understands well. Read this book carefully

and thoroughly. In order to evalute your knowledge about

this serious subject, write down your thoughts and

answers to at least twelve of the seventeen questions listed.

We are waiting for your answer so that we can send you

one of our useful books, as a prize should you succeed.

1. Explain how Christians have the right to say: God is

one.

2. Why doesn't the Fatherhood of God mean pro-

creation but rather spiritual Fatherhood?

3. How does the Kurän testify to the divine unity of God

in the Christian faith?

4. Explain the Kuränic texts that indicate the truth of the

Trinity in one God.

5. What does the name Father mean in the Christian

understanding?

6. What does the saying "God has a Son" mean?

7. Who is the Holy Spirit in Christian belief?

8. What kind of trinity do the Kurän and Christianity

reject?

— 55 —

9. How do you know that man's mind is unable to

perceive spontaneously all secrets?

10. What are the ways and means that help us to perceive

the nature of God?

11. Why does God reveal Himself to man?

12. Why was it necessary for God to become a man?

13. How did God reveal Himself to Skaikh Mansiir?

14. How does a believer reach assurance in his faith in

God and His work in us?

15. Discuss what you think is the most important ex-

perience of the Saint Müsa al Aswad.

16. List the four important truths in Jibrän's experience.

17. Write your own opinion about the all-encompassing

unity of God in His holy Trinity.

Do not forget to write your answer and address clearly and

send them to

Center for Young Adults

P.O.Box 354

CH-4019 Basel

Switzerland

0XOX0XOXOXOXG

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Table of Contents

God is One in the Holy Trinity