Journey To orthodoxy: Truth, Tradition, And the Trinity

28 And when all things have been put in subjection to him, then the Son will subject himself to Him who put all things in subjection to him, so that God is all in all.

NOTE: When you decide to "Be diligent to present YOURSELF approved before God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth," then you may ask yourself why you are depending on a hierarchy to present you as approved before God. If you are willing to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling", then also be willing to continue reading.

1) Basic Problems with the doctrine of the Trinity (REV Commentary)

The word “Trinity” is not in the Bible. Although that does not rule out the possible existence of the Trinity, it is supporting evidence that the doctrine is unbiblical.

Trinitarians differ, sometimes greatly, in their definitions of the Trinity. The Eastern Orthodox Church differs from the Western Church on the relation of the Holy Spirit to the Father and the Son. Also, Trinitarians who hold to the “classic” definition of the Trinity, that Jesus was 100% God and 100% man while on earth, believe differently from Kenotic Trinitarians, who believe that Jesus set aside his godhood while he was a man on earth. Oneness Pentecostals say the classic formula of the Trinity is completely wrong. Yet all these claim that Christ is God and that the Bible supports their position.

A study of the history of the Christian Church shows a definite development in the doctrine of the Trinity over the centuries. For example, the early form of the Apostles’ Creed, believed to date back to shortly after the time of the apostles themselves, does not mention the Trinity or the dual nature of Christ. Furthermore, it only states, “I believe in ‘the holy spirit,’” which could just as easily refer to the gift of holy spirit as it could to a third “Person” in the Trinity. The Nicene Creed, written in AD 325 and modified later, added the material about Jesus Christ being “eternally begotten” and “true God,” and about the Holy Spirit being “Lord.” But it was the Athanasian Creed, most likely composed in the late 400s or early 500s AD, that was the first creed to explicitly state the doctrine of the Trinity, and it includes that if a person does not believe it, he is not saved but will perish everlastingly. Yet saying that a person who does not believe in the Trinity is not saved contradicts the Bible. For example, when Peter addressed the Jews on the Day of Pentecost he did not mention the Trinity or that Jesus was God in the flesh, yet about 3,000 people in the audience were saved (Acts 2:41).

One of the most convincing arguments for Biblical Unitarianism is that God is never described as being composed of “three.” Not “three,” “three-in-one,” “Father, Son and Holy Spirit,” or three Persons making up one God. Many Trinitarians point to Matthew 28:19 which lists the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, but it does not call the three of them “God.” Matthew 28:19 is not defining God, it is stating the authority by which disciples will baptize: by the authority of God, of Christ, and by the power of the holy spirit. Simply mentioning three things together does not make them “God.” For example, if Matthew 28:19 read, “Baptize them in the ‘name’ (i.e., authority) of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” that would not make those three people “one Person.”

Also, the two natures of Jesus (him being fully God and fully man) are completely, absent from the scriptures. Jesus is never said to have two natures, two personalities, two minds, two spirits within him. He is always viewed as one person with one mind.

Trinitarians say the “Threeness” of the Trinity is just as vital as his Oneness, but never once does the Bible mention God’s “Threeness,” whereas it mentions His Oneness many times (e.g., Deut. 4:35; 6:4; Isa. 44:6, 8; John 5:44; 17:3; 1 Cor. 8:6).There are no verses that define God as being Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

There are no verses that define God as three, three in one, or a multiple.
There are no verses that say that Jesus has two natures or two minds.
There are no verses that say Jesus is a God-man, or that he is fully God and fully man.
There are no verses that call Jesus “eternally begotten,” the bible says he was begotten or “born” by Mary

It seems that if the doctrine of the Trinity was genuine and central to Christian belief as almost all Trinitarians claim, and especially if belief in it was necessary for salvation as many Trinitarians teach, it would have been clearly stated in the Bible and in the earliest Christian creeds.