1. Introduction: The Enduring Controversy of the Dake Bible
Finis Jennings Dake (1902-1987) was a Pentecostal minister best known for his voluminous work, the Dake Annotated Reference Bible. First published in 1963, the Dake Bible has remained popular in certain Charismatic and Pentecostal circles, lauded for its exhaustive notes, outlines, and cross-references. Dake claimed to have received a supernatural ability to quote Scripture verbatim and to have spent over 100,000 hours researching his Bible notes. His writings, including the extensive commentary in his study Bible and his systematic theology book, God’s Plan for Man, present a system of theology that is often detailed and complex.
However, beneath the surface of its encyclopedic lists and confident assertions lies a theological framework that diverges sharply from historic, orthodox Christianity on several key doctrines. While many minor points in his commentary are debatable, his teachings on the nature of God, specifically the doctrine of the Trinity, are not merely unorthodox but fall into the category of heresy. This report will provide an in-depth analysis of Dake’s unbiblical teaching of Tri-theism, demonstrating how he redefines and ultimately denies the Trinity as understood by the Christian church for two millennia. We will examine his core assertions, contrast them with the orthodox position, and provide a thorough biblical refutation. The primary sources for this analysis will be Dake’s own writings, particularly God’s Plan for Man and the notes from the Dake Annotated Reference Bible.
2. Dake’s Tritheism vs. The Orthodox Doctrine of the Trinity
The central error in Finis Dake’s doctrine of God is his rejection of the Trinity in favor of Tri-theism. While he uses the word “Trinity,” he completely redefines it to mean something entirely different from its historical and theological definition. Tri-theism is the belief in three separate gods, whereas Trinitarianism is the belief in one God who exists eternally in three distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Dake’s theology does not present one God in three Persons, but rather three distinct and separate divine beings who are “one” only in purpose and agreement, much like three human beings might agree on a plan. He posits that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate individuals, each possessing His own personal body, soul, and spirit. This is a radical departure from the biblical and creedal affirmation that God is one in essence (ousia) and three in person (hypostasis). This fundamental misunderstanding leads to a cascade of other errors, including his denial of God’s omnipresence, omniscience, and purely spiritual nature.
3. Dake’s Teaching: Three Separate and Distinct Persons
The foundation of Dake’s error is his misinterpretation of the personhood of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He takes the biblical distinctions between the Persons and expands them into a complete separation of beings.
3.1 Direct Quotations from Dake
Dake is explicit in his teaching that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not one being, but three separate beings.
“There are three separate and distinct persons in the Godhead… each has a personal spirit body, a personal soul, and a personal spirit in the same sense that man has, but on an infinite and eternal scale… They are three separate and distinct persons as much as any three men…”
– Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Note on Genesis 1:1
“The word trinity is not in the Bible, but the truth of it is… It means a union of three. In the case of the Godhead, it means a union of three persons… It does not mean that there is only one person who is God… The Father is a person, the Son is a person, and the Holy Spirit is a person. They are not three names for one person, but three persons.”
– God’s Plan for Man, Lesson Two, “The Trinity of God”
“When we say they are one, we mean they are one in unity, purpose, and will. They are not one in person. If they were one in person, then the Father would be the Son, and the Son would be the Holy Spirit, which is not true… They are as distinct as any three persons can be.”
– God’s Plan for Man, Lesson Two, “The Trinity of God”
These statements clearly illustrate Dake’s belief. He conceives of the Godhead as a committee of three divine individuals who are in perfect agreement. While they are “one” in purpose, they are three in being. This is the classic definition of Tri-theism.
3.2 The Orthodox View: One God in Three Persons
The Athanasian Creed states it this way: “we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty co-eternal.”
3.3 Biblical and Theological Refutation
Dake’s Tri-theistic model contradicts the most fundamental assertion of Scripture about God: His absolute oneness. The Bible is uncompromisingly monotheistic.
The Shema: The Foundation of Monotheism
The cornerstone of Jewish and Christian faith is the Shema:
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4)
This is not a statement of unity in purpose, but of unity in being. The Hebrew word for “one” (echad) can sometimes refer to a compound unity (as in Genesis 2:24, “one flesh”), but the context of Deuteronomy 6:4 and its consistent interpretation throughout Scripture is a declaration of the singular, unique nature of God. The prophets repeatedly emphasized this truth in the face of polytheism:
“You are my witnesses,” declares the LORD, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me.” (Isaiah 43:10)
“I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no God.” (Isaiah 45:5)
The New Testament Affirmation of One God
The New Testament continues this unwavering monotheism:
“There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Timothy 2:5)
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19)
The Deity of the Three Persons
The doctrine of the Trinity arises from the fact that while the Bible teaches there is only one God, it also clearly attributes full deity to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- The Father is God: This is assumed throughout Scripture (e.g., 1 Peter 1:2).
- The Son is God: John 1:1, “the Word was God”; John 20:28, “My Lord and my God!”; Titus 2:13, “our great God and Savior Jesus Christ”; Hebrews 1:8, “But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.'”
- The Holy Spirit is God: In Acts 5:3-4, lying to the Holy Spirit is equated with lying to God. The Holy Spirit also possesses divine attributes like omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-10) and omniscience (1 Corinthians 2:10-11).
The theological challenge, which the doctrine of the Trinity resolves, is to hold these truths together without contradiction. Dake resolves the tension by abandoning monotheism. He affirms the deity of three Persons but does so by making them three separate Gods. The orthodox position maintains the tension by affirming that the one Being of God is shared fully and eternally by three distinct Persons. Dake’s view is a simple, rationalistic solution that sacrifices the profound mystery of the biblical data for a more easily grasped, but unbiblical, concept.
4. Dake’s Heresy: A Body, Soul, and Spirit for Each Person of the Godhead
Flowing directly from his Tri-theistic view of three separate divine beings, Dake makes one of his most startling and heretical claims: that each person of the Godhead possesses a body, soul, and spirit, just as humans do. This is a form of extreme anthropomorphism (attributing human form and characteristics to God) that directly contradicts the biblical teaching on the nature of God.
4.1 Direct Quotations from Dake
“God has a personal spirit body, a personal soul, and a personal spirit. He is a person with a body, parts, and passions. He is in the form of a man, and not a spirit essence that fills the universe.”
– Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Note on John 4:24
“Since all three persons of the Godhead are eternal and have all the attributes of personality, it is clear that each one has a spirit body of His own, with a soul and a spirit, separate and distinct from the others… God the Father is a person with a body, parts, and passions; God the Son is a person with a body, parts, and passions; and God the Holy Spirit is a person with a body, parts, and passions.”
– God’s Plan for Man, Lesson Two, “The Trinity of God”
4.2 The Orthodox View: God is Spirit
4.3 Biblical and Theological Refutation
Dake’s teaching that God has a body is a plain denial of explicit biblical statements. His method is to take figurative language literally and ignore the clear, didactic statements of Scripture.
Jesus’ Clear Teaching
Jesus Himself gives the clearest statement on the nature of God:
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)
Dake’s note on this verse, incredibly, attempts to argue that this means God has a “spirit body.” But this is to twist the text to fit a pre-existing theology. The contrast Jesus is making is between physical, localized worship (on a particular mountain or in a particular city) and worship of a God who is not confined by physicality. A spirit, by definition, is immaterial. As Jesus said in another context, “a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have” (Luke 24:39).
God’s Invisibility
The Bible repeatedly states that God is invisible, which would not be true if He had a physical body that could be seen.
“No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” (John 1:18)
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” (Colossians 1:15)
“To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:17)
Dake’s system requires him to explain these verses away, often by claiming they only mean God is “not seen” by most people, not that He is inherently invisible. This is an eisegesis (reading meaning into the text) rather than exegesis (drawing meaning out of the text).
The Error of Anthropomorphism
Dake’s literal interpretation of anthropomorphic language leads him to a distorted view of God. When Scripture speaks of the “hand of the LORD” (Exodus 9:3) or God’s “eyes” running to and fro throughout the earth (2 Chronicles 16:9), it is using metaphorical language to describe God’s power and knowledge. It is not giving a physical description. To take these literally is to create a god in man’s image, a finite being limited by a body. This is a form of idolatry that the Bible constantly warns against. God is infinite and transcendent, not a magnified man.
5. The Denial of Divine Omnipresence
If each Person of the Godhead is a separate being with His own body, then it logically follows that they cannot be everywhere at once. Dake accepts this conclusion and explicitly denies the doctrine of God’s omnipresence.
5.1 Direct Quotations from Dake
“God is not present everywhere in His personal body. He is in heaven, and His presence is extended throughout the universe by the Holy Spirit. He is present by His Spirit, but not in person… To say that God is personally present everywhere is to deny that He has a body.”
– Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Note on Psalm 139:7
“God can be in only one place at a time in His body. This is true of all persons, whether human, angelic, or divine… The Father is on His throne in heaven. The Son is at His right hand. The Holy Spirit is in the Church and in the world. They are not all in the same place at the same time.”
– God’s Plan for Man, Lesson Three, “The Attributes of God”
5.2 The Orthodox View: God is Everywhere Present
5.3 Biblical and Theological Refutation
Dake’s denial of omnipresence is a direct contradiction of some of the most beautiful and profound passages in Scripture.
Psalm 139
David’s great psalm on the attributes of God is a clear testimony to omnipresence:
“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” (Psalm 139:7-10)
Dake’s attempt to limit this to God’s presence “by His Spirit” creates an artificial distinction. The psalmist equates God’s Spirit and God’s presence. He is not speaking of a mere influence, but of the personal presence of God from which he cannot escape.
Jeremiah 23:24
God Himself asks the rhetorical question:
“‘Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?’ declares the LORD. ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ declares the LORD.” (Jeremiah 23:24)
The language is unequivocal. God “fills” heaven and earth. This is not the language of a being confined to a single location.
New Testament Affirmations
The Apostle Paul taught the same truth to the philosophers in Athens:
“…he is actually not far from each one of us, for ‘In him we live and move and have our being’…” (Acts 17:27-28)
This speaks of an intimate, immediate presence of God with all of His creation, not a distant king who rules by proxy through His Spirit. Dake’s model makes the Holy Spirit a kind of divine messenger or force that extends the presence of the Father and Son, who are themselves localized in heaven. This diminishes the person and work of the Holy Spirit and fundamentally changes the believer’s relationship with God. We do not relate to a God who is far away, but to one who is “a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).
6. The Denial of Divine Omniscience
In a similar vein to his denial of omnipresence, Dake also appears to limit God’s knowledge, particularly His knowledge of the future choices of free-will creatures. While less explicit than his other errors, his writings suggest a view that is closer to what is now known as Open Theism—the idea that the future is “open” and therefore not exhaustively known by God.
6.1 Direct Quotations from Dake
In his notes, Dake often interprets passages where God “tests” people or speaks of what “might” happen as evidence that God does not have exhaustive foreknowledge.
“God’s foreknowledge does not mean that all things are fixed. God knows all possibilities, but He does not know what man will choose until he chooses it. If He did, man would not have free will.”
– Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Note on Genesis 22:1
“God repented… This is not to say that God made a mistake, but that He changed His mind based on man’s actions. This shows that man’s choices can affect God’s plans.”
– Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible, Note on Genesis 6:6
These interpretations subordinate God’s knowledge to human freedom, suggesting that God learns and reacts to human choices rather than knowing them from eternity.
6.2 The Orthodox View: God Knows All Things
6.3 Biblical and Theological Refutation
The Bible is replete with evidence of God’s exhaustive knowledge of all things, including the future.
Direct Statements of Omniscience
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.” (Psalm 147:5)
“…for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.” (1 John 3:20)
“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose…'” (Isaiah 46:9-10)
This last passage is particularly powerful. God’s ability to declare the end from the beginning is presented as proof of His unique deity. A god who does not know the future with certainty is not the God of the Bible.
The Witness of Prophecy
The entire enterprise of biblical prophecy rests on God’s exhaustive foreknowledge. Hundreds of specific prophecies about Jesus Christ—His birthplace, lineage, manner of death, and resurrection—were made centuries before He was born. These were not predictions of high probability; they were certain declarations of what would come to pass. If God did not know the future choices of the people involved (Judas, Pilate, the Roman soldiers), then these prophecies could not have been certain.
Interpreting Problematic Texts
What about texts where God “repents” or “tests” someone? These are, like the anthropomorphisms of God’s “hands,” accommodations to human language and perspective. When God “repents” (e.g., Genesis 6:6, Jonah 3:10), it does not mean He was surprised or changed His eternal decree. It is a phenomenal description of a change in His dealings with humanity from our point of view. Scripture itself qualifies these statements, as in Numbers 23:19: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.” Similarly, when God “tests” Abraham (Genesis 22), it is not to find out information for Himself, but to reveal the nature of Abraham’s faith for Abraham’s benefit and for all future generations.
Dake’s system, by limiting God’s knowledge, creates a finite god who is dependent on his creatures. This is not the sovereign, all-knowing God revealed in Scripture.
7. Conclusion: A Departure from Orthodoxy
The teachings of Finis J. Dake on the doctrine of the Trinity are not minor deviations from orthodoxy; they represent a fundamental rejection of the biblical and historical understanding of the nature of God. By redefining the Trinity as a union of three separate divine beings, each with his own body, soul, and spirit, Dake promotes Tri-theism. His system logically requires him to deny other essential divine attributes, such as God’s spiritual nature, His omnipresence, and His omniscience. The result is a theology that presents three finite, localized deities who are “one” only in purpose.
This is not the God of the Bible. The God of Scripture is one in His essential being, yet exists eternally as three distinct Persons. He is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth. He fills heaven and earth, and His understanding is beyond measure.
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