I have noticed that the term ‘Godhead’ is becoming a household word for Trinitarians. It is used to convey the idea of a ruling council or body in heaven. A triune council, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who make the decisions. This idea could not be further from the truth. This all stems from a mistranslation by the translators who in their bias leaned on the side of the then-dominant belief in the trinity when translation the texts.
The term ‘Godhead’ is used three times in the King James Version of the Bible, Acts 17:29 – Theion, Rom.1:20 – Theiotes, Col. 2:9 – Theotes. Three different Greek variations with the same root word are used. All three words can be translated as deity, divine, or divine nature, yet the translators, leaning on their religious biases, chose to translate these words as Godhead. Of course, the more modern translations have corrected that error, but the damage is already done. This was no accident, but a deliberate ploy to condition the mind for the doctrine of the Trinity. The Church of that age was heavily biased toward the Trinitarian doctrine, and the translators of the King James Version of the Bible were all believers in the three in one god concept. Yet, the original Greek was written in a Jewish culture that did not believe or convey the concept of a Godhead or ruling tribunal in Heaven. They believed in only ONE divine God/Father who is sovereign.
Let us examine two of these texts and compare how these subtle interpretations can shape our minds and condition us for the trinitarian understanding of the Trinity doctrine:
“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”
-Acts 17:29 KJV
But the literal translation would read like this:
“Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that deity is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.”
You see, the use of the word deity gives a totally different understanding than using the word Godhead. Deity depicts nature, but Godhead portrays number/content.
Let’s see how the next text goes.
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”
-Romans 1:20 KJV
Now, read it with the direct Greek meaning:
“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and divinity; so that they are without excuse.”
Do you see the difference in meaning? Lucifer altered the statement of God by one word and brought about the fall of man. Just one word “not” – “thou shall NOT surely die”. Theology can be changed by one word. One word can make all the difference- like the want of a two-penny nail on which a whole kingdom was lost.
Deception is always worst when it comes from trusted ones. The King James Version of the Bible has a few more texts that would warrant your investigation. 1John 5:7, Matthew 28:18, 1Tim 3:16. Does this mean that we should get rid of the bible? Of course not, modern technology has given us the tool to test all that we read or are told. As for the bible, we can check the translation using the Interlinear on biblehub.com or compare translations using the Parallel Bible. Anything you read in the bible must be able to stand up to the scrutiny of the rest of the bible. EXAMPLE: the command in Matthew 28:19 cannot stand up to the scrutiny of the bible. There is not once instance recorded where the disciples baptized anyone using that formula. This is why there is a question mark on Matthew 28:19 by serious Bible scholars.
I cannot speak for you, but I will put my trust in the words of Jesus, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” John 17:3. And I will also trust the words of Paul, “ yet for us, there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.1 Corinthian 8:6. I can trust those texts because there is so much more supporting text that confirms this understanding that there is but ONE God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus the Christ.