James 2:19, doesn't say the "two distinct Persons" are "One [Being]".
James 2:19 refers to the family JEHOVAH Elohiym as a harmonious trio that are contrasted to the plethora of false gods in opposition.
James does not say that the three individual Persons of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are "One [Being]" anywhere. It is nowhere in scripture. In fact, several times in the OT the words are plural.
John the Apostle, knew from Genesis 1:1, and throughout, that there have eternally been 3 persons, 3 divine witnesses, acting together in a musical chord, a trio, all in harmony together, in at-one-ment.
Genesis 1:1 KJB - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Genesis 1:2 KJB - And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Genesis 1:3 KJB - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
Genesis 1:6 KJB - And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
Genesis 1:7 KJB - And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
The word “
God”, from the Hebrew
[H430], “אלהים”, “'ĕlôhı̂ym”, is plural in Genesis 1:1 KJB, but more than this, in Hebrew there are two kinds of plural, a dual plural [2
only] and true plural [
3 or greater]. This word is in the
True [
3 or greater]
plural.
[1] The Father - “... God said ...”, speaking to the Son,
[2] The Son - “... God made ...”
[3] The Holy Spirit - “... the Spirit of God moved upon ...”
We see that God the Father orchestrated, which the Son honoured the Father, and the Holy Ghost/Spirit was moved and was breathed, and thus all 3, the “trio” are the “Makers” [Ecclesiastes 12:1 HOT & so-called LXX and
*], see also Job 33:4; Isaiah 43:7; Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 1:2, 2:10; Revelation 4:11, etc KJB.
What about when 'God' is referred to by plural ones?
"Elohiym" (Genesis 1:1 HOT, etc) x (a lot) (true plural, 3 or greater form)
"us" x 4 (plural pronoun),
"our" x 3 (plural pronoun):
Gen_1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen_3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Gen_11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
Isa_6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.
"we" x 3 (plural pronoun):
Joh_3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness.
Yet, there are more:
"Creators" x 1 (Ecclesiastes 12:1 HOT, "בוראיך") (plural pronoun)
"Makers" x 3 (Job 35:10 HOT, "עשׂי") & (Psalms 149:2 HOT, "בעשׂיו") & (Isaiah 54:5 HOT, "עשׂיך") (plural pronoun)
"Holy Ones" x 1 (Proverbs 9:10 HOT, "קדשׁים") (plural pronoun)
This is just a sample of what is found in the Hebrew Masoretic OT. There are more.
Verbs are plural in association with Elohiym:
Gen 20:13 And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander from my father's house, that I said unto her, This is thy kindness which thou shalt shew unto me; at every place whither we shall come, say of me, He is my brother.
"התעו" (wander) connected to Elohiym is plural.
Gen 35:7 And he built there an altar, and called the place Elbethel: because there God appeared unto him, when he fled from the face of his brother.
"נגלו" (revealed) connected to Elohiym is plural.
Deu 4:7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for?
"קרבים" (nigh) connected to Elohiym is plural.
Jos 24:19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.
"קדשׁים" (Holy) connected to Elohiym is plural.
2Sa 7:23 And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to himself, and to make him a name, and to do for you great things and terrible, for thy land, before thy people, which thou redeemedst to thee from Egypt, from the nations and their gods?
"הלכו" (went) connected to Elohiym is plural.
Psa 58:11 (vs 12 HOT) So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
"שׁפטים" (judge) connected to Elohiym is plural.
Pro 30:3 I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
Pro 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?
"קדשׁים" (holy) connected to vs 4 with the "name" (of the Father), and that of "son's name".
Even the word
"Adonai" (
"לאדני") is given mostly/majority in the plural (Examples: Gen 18:30; Ex 34:23; Deut 10:17; Joshua 3:11,13; Ps 45:11; 114:7; 135:5; Mal 1:6).