The Institute of Divine Metaphysical Research

Author:

CRI Statement

Article ID:

DD500

Updated: 

Mar 5, 2024

Published:

Apr 16, 2009

The Institute of Divine Metaphysical Research (IDMR) was begun by Henry C. Kinley, who was supposedly given a revelation of “divine metaphysics” by God in 1931. Below are listed some of the distinctive teachings of the IDMR and a biblical answer to each point.

(1) Although they claim to believe in the Bible, they do not trust what it actually says, claiming it has been imperfectly preserved; when pressed, they deny that the Bible is inerrant (without error). Isaiah 55:10-11 states the principle that God will not allow His word to be frustrated in its purpose. In Matthew 5:18 Jesus explained that not even one letter would pass away from God’s word until everything in Scripture was fulfilled. Obviously, the text of Scripture must be pure for Jesus’ statement to be true (see also John 10:34; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

(2) The IDMR claims that God is known only by the name Yehweh, and that the true name of his Son is Yashua, not Jesus. To this teaching, several points must be made:

a) Names are spelled and pronounced differently in different languages, but they are still the same; thus, we have Mary, Marie, Maria, Miriam; George, Georg, Jorge; Anthony, Antonio, Antony, Anton, etc. The prophet Jeremiah was known as Yirmeyah in Hebrew and Hieremias in Greek, but no one doubts that these different forms all refer to the same person.

b) Even in the same language a name can take different forms. Thus the name “Jesus” in Hebrew was sometimes Yashua, but at other times Yehoshua. Which is “the true name”?

c) The insistence on Yashua instead of “Jesus” is based on the mistaken assumption that the New Testament was originally written in Hebrew; the facts prove conclusively that it was originally written in Greek.

d) The New Testament never uses Yahweh, but rather “Lord” (kurios); and it teaches us to call him “God” and “Father,” not Yahweh.

e) The Bible never makes an issue of how a name is spelled or pronounced; why then should we?

(3) They deny the Trinity and the deity of Christ. The doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one God (Isa. 43:10; 44:6, 8; 1 Tim. 2:5; James 2:19; etc.), who exists eternally in the three persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19; Gal. 1:1; John 1:1; 20:28; Tit. 2:13; Acts 5:3-4; John 16:7-14; etc.).

(4) They deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus, although it is clearly taught in the Scriptures (Luke 24:36-43; John 2:19-22; 20:26-27; Acts 2:24-32; 1Cor. 15:4-8; etc.).

(5) The IDMR rejects the practice of water baptism, which is also clearly commanded in the Scripture (Matt. 28:19; Acts 8:36-38; 10:47-48).

(6) They claim that “Lord” stands for the Hebrew word Baal, so that Christian who worship the “Lord” are guilty of Baal-worship. This is absurd. Baal was a minor agricultural deity worshiped by people now extinct; Christians worship “the King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:16), the “Lord of heaven and earth” (Matt. 11:25). Furthermore, there are two Hebrew words translated “Lord,” Baal and Adonai; and Adonai is frequently used in the Old Testament to refer to “Yahweh!”

(7) Finally, the fundamental error of the IDMR is that they teach a pantheistic view of God — that is, that God is everything, for we are God. However, the Bible flatly contradicts this teaching. “God is not a man” (Num. 23:19); the Egyptians are men, and not God (Isa. 31:3) — men simply are not God! The fact is that God is not everything since He made everything (Gen. 1:1; John 1:3; Gal. 1:16; Heb. 11:3; etc.). You cannot be what you make! A carpenter is not his bench, nor is the writer his book; and the Creator is not His creation. Of course, all of creation is in the Creator’s presence, but that does not mean He is merely an aspect of His creation (any more than a writer is merely an aspect of his book!). Yes, God is “in” the world — just as a builder can be in his building — but he is not thereby a part of his building. That man can be his own god is the first lie ever believed in human beings (Gen. 3:5).

In conclusion, the IDMR is a non-Christian religion. It rejects all of the fundamental teachings of the Bible, proclaiming a false God, a different Jesus, and another gospel (Deut. 13:1-4; 2 Cor. 11:4; Gal. 1:6-9).

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