SPELLING EDITED Sadly, some Christians are only being taught ONE SIDE of the Bible. What do I mean by one side of the Bible? You see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, there is one side of the Bible that has statements of FACTS. And then, there is the other side of the Bible where verses are INTERPRETED. And thus, some Christians are only being taught what others have INTERPRETED the Bible to mean. So in this study of God’s word we will take a look at the FACTS that are stated in the Bible. And what I mean by facts is that there are many verses in the Bible that do NOT need any interpretation to understand what those verses mean in SIMPLICITY. But before we get into the plainly stated facts found in the Bible, let us read a verse where Paul is concerned that there are those in the church teaching ANOTHER Jesus that they did NOT teach. Please read 2 Corinthians 11:3,4. “But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the SIMPLICITY that is IN Christ. (Paul is worried or concerned that some Christians are being deceived to be drawn away from the TRUE Jesus and the TRUE gospel of Jesus Christ that the Bible ITSELF teaches IN SIMPLICITY.) 4. For if he that comes preaching ANOTHER Jesus, whom WE have NOT preached, (Here is the KEY to knowing the TRUE Jesus that the Bible ITSELF teaches us IN SIMPLICITY. And this key is that any Jesus that is being taught in the Jesus today that does not AGREE 100% with the Jesus that the Apostles of Jesus taught in the New Testament of the Bible, then that Jesus is ANOTHER Jesus) or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or ANOTHER GOSPEL, which you have not accepted, you might well bear with him.” Now, when some Christians read this verse, they INTERPRET this verse to mean that if anyone comes along and teaches anything different from what their own church DENOMINATION teaches, then those Christians are teaching ANOTHER Jesus. But that is NOT what this verse is saying. Paul is specifically defining another Jesus as being any other Jesus than what the APOSTLES of Jesus themselves taught. So then, does the Jesus that your church denomination teaches AGREE 100% with the Jesus that the Apostle of Jesus taught? And if your church doctrine, concerning Jesus, does not agree with the Jesus taught in the New Testament of the Bible, then they are teaching ANOTHER Jesus and NOT the TRUE Jesus of the Bible. Here are four main teachings of Jesus found in the church today. And since they all are different teachings, from each other, then they all cannot be the correct teaching of the TRUE Jesus that is taught in the Bible. And it may be that none of them teach 100% the true Jesus that is taught in the Bible. This is a study in God’s word to find the closest teaching possible that FITS the TRUE Jesus that is taught in the SCRIPTURES. I will list the four main church denominational teachings of Jesus in no specific order, INTERPRETATION #1. The Doctrine of Oneness. The Oneness doctrine teaches that Jesus is a manifestation of God. The Oneness doctrine teaches that God manifested Himself in the flesh. And Oneness believers teach that there is but one God and that one God is Jesus. They interpret the Scriptures to mean that Jesus is the Father and the Father is the Son Jesus. In other words, the doctrine of Oneness does NOT teach that Jesus is a distinct separate person from the Father. According to the doctrine of Oneness, Jesus and the Father are ONE and the SELF-SAME being. Oneness believers also teach that Jesus was fully God and fully a human being at the same time having two natures. INTERPRETATION #2. The Doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity teaches that there are three separate distinctly different persons in the one God. The doctrine of the Trinity states that the Father is not the Son, the Father is not the Holy Spirit, the Son is not the Father, the Son is not the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit is not the Father, and the Holy Spirit is not the Son. The doctrine of the Trinity also states that all three persons have eternally existed without any of them having a beginning. And lastly, the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that all three persons are co-equal in every way where none is lesser than or greater than the other. Trinitarians also teach that Jesus was fully God and fully a human being at the same time having two natures. INTERPRETATION #3. Unitarianism. Unitarianism teaches that God’s Son did indeed have a BEGINNING and that God’s Son is NOT equal with Almighty God the Father in every way. There are many different sects of Unitarianism. Some of the major Unitarian church denominations are the Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Christadelphians. Both of these church denominations teach that God’s Son had his beginning in eternity past. They INTERPRET the scriptures to mean that God created his Son first and then through or by the Son everything else was created. Some Unitarians teach that God created Jesus and then Jesus created everything else. While other Unitarians teach that God used his Son as an AGENT by which God created all things. Some Unitarians believe that God first created the Word as a separate eternal Spirit being who was named the Word. And then the Word manifested himself to become the human Son of God while remaining the fully divine God at the same time. And thus SOME Unitarian Christians also teach that Jesus was fully God and fully a human being at the same time having two natures. INTERPRETATION #4. Biblical Unitarians. Now, while Biblical Unitarians are not technically a church denomination, most all Biblical Unitarians agree and teach basically the same things concerning WHO Jesus is according to what the Bible itself teaches. What I mean by this is that, when the Bible states, as a fact, that Jesus is the SON OF God that Biblical Unitarians do not speculate or try to theorize what the phrase “Son of God” means. They just accept the FACT that Jesus is the SON OF God. Biblical Unitarians deny both the doctrine of Oneness and the doctrine of the Trinity. And unlike Unitarianism that teaches the beginning of God’s Son to be in eternity past, Bible Unitarian Christians believe and teach that the beginning of God’s Son was at the Virgin birth as a HUMAN mortal Son. And then, after the cross, the Son of MAN BECAME the eternal SON OF God. So then, Biblical Unitarians do not believe that God’s Son eternally existed in eternity past having no beginning. And Biblical Unitarians do NOT believe in the co-equal Trinitarian teaching of the Father and Son being equal in every way, where neither is greater or less than the other. But rather Biblical Unitarians believe and teach that there is just ONE TRUE God who is Almighty God, the Father. Biblical Unitarians simply read the statements of the FACT that Jesus being the SON OF God, without reading into the Scripture what being the Son of God means or does not mean. Now, since many Christians already know what their OWN church denomination teaches concerning Jesus, I thought that I would focus on the OTHER side of the Bible by simply stating what the Bible itself states. There are many verses in the Bible that specifically states that Jesus is a MAN and the Son of MAN. And since I already have a study where I cover all the verses in the Bible with the phrase”Son of man” in them, then I will only quote a few of those verses in this particular study. In this study, I will mainly focus on the verses with the word “MAN” in them that refer directly to Jesus being a MAN. Let us begin this study in God’s word by reading the passage of where the Son of MAN is given eternal life and is also given the right to judge BECAUSE he is the Son of MAN. Rather than just quoting those two verses out of their context let us read the whole context so that we can see the TRUE Jesus that the Bible itself teaches us IN SIMPLICITY. Please read John 5:15-30. “The man departed and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole. (Here we see that Jesus HEALED a man. Some Christians INTERPRET Jesus healing people to mean that Jesus MUST be Almighty God HIMSELF because ONLY God can HEAL people. Please keep in mind that it is just an INTERPRETATION to say that Jesus must be Almighty God because Jesus healed people. Yes, it is true that only Almighty God can heal people but that does not dogmatically mean the Jesus is Almighty God. When Paul healed people he knew that it was God healing the people and not that he himself was doing the healing. And Jesus knew this as well. You will see this truth about the TRUE Jesus, as you continue reading what the Bible ITSELF states as FACTS with no interpretation needed) 16. And, therefore, did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him, because he had done these things on the sabbath day. (The Jews were not surprised that the MAN, Jesus, healed people. But rather they wanted to kill Jesus for breaking the Sabbath day by healing people on the Sabbath day.) 17. But Jesus answered them, My Father works hitherto, and I work. (This verse can only be correctly understood by the context of verse 19 and verse 30 where Jesus states as a fact that the Son can do NOTHING OF HIMSELF. This means that as Jesus obeyed what his Father told him to do, then the Father would do the actual HEALING. But the Jews wrongly interpreted the words of Jesus as him making himself equal with God) 18. Therefore, the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God. (But that is NOT what Jesus was doing because in the next verse Jesus defends himself against this FALSE accusation that he was making himself equal with God) 19. Then ANSWERED Jesus (Their false accusation of him making himself equal with God) and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do NOTHING OF HIMSELF, but what he sees the Father do: for what things soever he does, these also do the Son likewise. (In other words, the Father directed Jesus to ask that man if he wanted to be made whole in verse 6? Then the Father directed Jesus to tell that man to take up his bed and walk in verse 8. So, all that Jesus did was to OBEY what the Father showed him to do. Thus Jesus was saying that if the Father chooses to heal on the Sabbath day, then who am I to question Almighty God, my Father, who showed me these things to do?) 20. For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all things that HIMSELF DOES: (So then, the Bible itself states as a FACT that Jesus was NOT the one who actually healed the people. And continues to state as a fact that it was Almighty God, the Father, is was the one DOING the HEALING through the MAN, Jesus the Christ. Does this SOUND Biblical FACT that Jesus was NOT the one who actually healing the people agree with or contradict the doctrines of the Oneness Christians and the Trinitarian Christians? Remember that both Oneness and Trinitarian Christians INTERPRET that Jesus MUST be ALMIGHTY God HIMSELF because ONLY Almighty God can HEAL people?) And he will show him greater works than these that you may marvel. (Here we see that God will do greater things through the Son of man) 21. For as the Father raises up the dead, and quickens them; even so the Son quickens whom he will. (This verse is directly connected to the context of the next verse where Almighty God the Father has COMMITTED all JUDGMENT TO the Son. And thus Jesus has been given the authority and power to give eternal life to whomsoever Jesus judges to be worthy to receive eternal life at his coming) 22. For the Father judges no man, but has COMMITTED ALL JUDGMENT unto the Son: 23. THAT (Or so that) all men should honor the Son, EVEN AS they honor the Father. He that honors NOT the Son honors NOT the Father which has sent him. 24. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that hear my word, and believes on him that sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26. For as the Father has life in himself; so has he GIVEN TO the Son to have life in himself; (Here we see that Almighty God, the Father, has GIVEN TO his Son, Jesus, to be having eternal life even as the father has always had immortality in himself. But that is not all that the Father GAVE the Son of MAN) 27. AND has GIVEN him authority to execute judgment ALSO, (And WHY did Almighty God give all these things to Jesus? Was it because Jesus was fully Almighty God himself? Was it because Jesus was the SON OF Almighty God? Simply read what the Bible itself states as a FACT with no interpretation needed) BEACUSE he is the Son of MAN. 28. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29. And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30. I can of MY OWN SELF DO NOTHING: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not my OWN WILL, but the will of the Father which has sent me.” So now ask yourself the question. Has your church denomination taught you that which agrees with the whole word of God. Or are you finding that what you have been taugh by your church denomination is CONTRADICTING what the Bible states as facts in this passage of Scripture? If you answer is that your church is not teaching 100 % what the Bible is teaching you in this passage of Scripture, then your church denomination is teaching ANOTHER Jesus, that the Apostles of Jesus did NOT teach. And if your church denomination tries to explain away the HUMAN nature of Jesus, as being only ONE of his natures, then have them show to you the verse that STATES in SIMPLICITY, that Jesus had TWO natures at the same time. If they cannot produce the SCRIPTURES that prove beyond any shadow of a doubt the Jesus had TWO NATURES at the SAME time during the days of his FLESH, then they are teaching ANOTHER Jesus that the Apostles of Jesus did NOT teach. The sound Biblical FACT is that Almighty God COMMITTED ALL Judgment to Jesus BECAUSE he overcame sin as the Son of MAN and NOT as being Almighty God himself or as being a God-man having TWO natures at the same time. Let us continue with some more verses that teach us in SIMPLICITY that Jesus was a MAN. Please read Acts 17:31. “Because he (Speaking of Almighty God the Father) has appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness BY that MAN whom he has ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead.” Again we see that mankind will be judged BY the MAN Jesus Christ whom Almighty God the Father raised from the dead through his Holy Spirit. Trinitarian Christians use John 2:18-20 to try and prove that Jesus is Yahweh himself. But in truth Jesus is prophesying of raising his BODY, the CHURCH from the dead and NOT himself from the dead. Please read the study “JOHN 2:19 DID JESUS RAISE HIMSELF FROM THE DEAD?” Now, you have to wonder why the Bible seems to EMPHASIZE Jesus being a MAN more so than Jesus being the SON OF Almighty God. In Acts 2:22 we see that Jesus is a MAN that is APPROVED OF God. Please read Acts 2:22. “You men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a MAN approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by (Or THROUGH) him in the midst of you, as you yourselves also know:” The Greek word translated as “approved” carries the meaning of to show off. It means to exhibit, to demonstrate, to accredit and to approve. The word “accredit” means to give approval for an action. So when Jesus responded to the direction of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him then God confirmed his word with signs and wonders following the obedience of the Son of MAN, Jesus. And this is the same thing that God does with the followers of Jesus. Please read Mark 16:20. “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” And God does this to SHOW others that people believe. The signs following also show us that we are teaching the one true God and his Son Jesus. Also, God did this for the Son of MAN, Jesus, in order to show that it was the one true God who SENT Jesus to preach the kingdom of God and the New Covenant established in the shed blood of the Son of MAN, Jesus. Again, most Christians have already been taught the ONE SIDE of the Bible where the SON OF God was crucified but how many of you know that Jesus himself taught us that it was the Son of MAN who was lifted up on the cross? Please read John 3:13,14. “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of MAN be lifted up: 15. That whosoever believes in him (Speaking of the Son of MAN who died for their sins) should not perish, but have eternal life.” Now, the disciples of Jesus must have truly believed that Jesus was the Son of MAN because they also teach us that the Son of MAN died for our sins. And even one of the high priests believed the prophecy of the suffering Messiah. Please read the following verses. John 11:50. “And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year, said unto them, (The rest of the Jews who were afraid that all the Jews would start following Jesus) You know nothing at all, 50. Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that ONE MAN should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.” Now read where Paul makes the analogy between the ONE MAN Adam that sinned and the ONE MAN Jesus who did NOT Sin. Please read Romans 5:14-19. “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 15. But not as the offense, so also is the free gift. For if through the offense of ONE (MAN) many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by ONE MAN, Jesus Christ, has abounded unto many. 16. And not as it was by ONE (MAN) that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by ONE (MAN) to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offenses unto justification. 17. For if by ONE man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by ONE (MAN), Jesus Christ.) 18. Therefore as by the offense of ONE (MAN) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of ONE (MAN) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 19. For as by ONE man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of ONE (MAN) shall many be made righteous.” Now, the Bible itself teaches us in SIMPLICITY that a MAN who lived his life WITHOUT SIN died for our sins. But the Oneness Christians and the Trinitarian Christians teach that a mere human MAN cannot die for the sins of mankind. And, therefore, to THEM they dogmatically insist that is was Almighty God HIMSELF who suffered and died on the cross for our sins. But that is their INTERPRETATION of the Scriptures that also have other interpretations. So again, ask yourself who is teaching ANOTHER Jesus that was NOT taught by the Apostles of Jesus. One of the verses that both Oneness and Trinitarian Christians use to try and prove that God himself died on the cross is Acts 20:28 from the King James Version of the Bible. Acts 20:28 from the King James Version. “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. “ But other Bible translations read the phrase” his own blood” as the “blood of his own” which teaches us that we were redeemed by the shed blood of God’s OWN; meaning God's own human Son of MAN, Jesus. “Take heed therefore to yourselves, and to all the flock, wherein the Holy Spirit has set you as overseers, to shepherd the assembly of God, which he has purchased with the blood of his own.” So you see my dear brothers and sisters in our Lord Jesus Christ, we should not make dogmatic demanding essential church doctrines that MUST be believed in order to be saved based upon INTERPRETED Scriptures that have other logical interpretations that AGREE 100% with the REST of God’s word. Let us agree to find those Scriptures that cannot be interpreted any other way and then interpret other verse based upon those clear simple verses that do not need any interpretation to understand what they mean. For an example, let us consider 1 Timothy 2:5, which clearly teaches us, in SIMPLICITY, that there is but ONE God and there is but ONE MEDIATOR BETWEEN God and mankind. Please read 1 Timothy 2:5. “For there is one God, and one mediator BETWEEN God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus;” This verse does NOT say that the God Christ Jesus is our mediator. This verse does NOT say that the God-man Christ Jesus is our mediator. But rather this verse states as a FACT, with no interpretation needed, that the MAN, Christ Jesus, is our mediator BETWEEN God and mankind. If you have not read the study on this topic, then please read “JESUS THE SON OF MAN!” The Bible speaks of Jesus being the Son of MAN TWICE as many times as the phrase “Son of God” is mentioned. So to me, it is quite obvious that God wants us to know that the MAN Jesus Christ suffered and died for our sins. Did you know that Jesus became the FIRSTFRUITS unto God? And did you know that we who are found faithful, at his coming, will be added to the FIRSTFRUITS of God? Please read 1 Corinthians 15:20-26 “But now is Christ RISEN from the dead, and BECOME the FIRSTFRUITS of them that slept. 21. For since by MAN came death, by MAN came also the resurrection of the dead. 22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23. But every MAN in his own order: Christ the FIRSTFRUITS; AFTERWARD they that are Christ's at his coming. 24. Then comes the end, (Speaking of the end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus when Israel will be added to the FIRSTFRUITS of God) when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25. For he must reign, till he has put all enemies under his feet. 26. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” For a deeper understanding of the TRUE Jesus according to the Bible ITSELF please read the study “GOD’S NEW CREATION CREATED IN JESUS CHRIST?” The Oneness Jesus and the Trinitarian Jesus are both ANOTHER Jesus that the Apostles of Jesus did NOT teach. Many Christians blindly accept what their church denomination teaches them. Please understand that I am not singling out anyone church denomination. This pattern of Christians not reading the Bible for themselves seems to be present in most every church denomination. So, how are you going to know if you are being taught what the Bible ITSELF teaches, if you do not read and study the Bible for yourself? Some Christians simply take for granted that the doctrine of the Trinity is 100% Biblical. And they do so simply because that is what their church denomination teaches them. But did you know that many prominent Bible teachers that teach the doctrine of the Trinity openly admitted that the Bible does NOT SPECIFICALLY teach that God is three persons in the one true God? The word Trinity means three. And while three workings of God are found in the Bible, the word Trinity cannot be found in the Bibles itself. It is true that you can find the word Trinity in the extra-Biblical church writings beginning with Tertullian who used the Latin word “Trinitas” to describe Almighty God the Father, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit working in unity together. But at that time in history, there was NO Trinity “DOCTRINE”. In other words, it took almost four hundred years to actually FORM the “DOCTRINE” of the Trinity which states that there are three separate persons in the one God. And that each person always existed without every having a beginning or end. The doctrine of the Trinity also states that each person of the Trinity are co-equal with each other where none are less than or greater than the other. Below is a list of several Bible Dictionaries and Bible concordances that openly admit that the Bible only SEEMS to IMPLY that God is a Trinity but it is NOT SPECIFICALLY taught in the Bible ITSELF. The following are quotes from this website. Notice this admission in the New Bible Dictionary: “The term ‘Trinity’ is not itself found in the Bible. It was first used by Tertullian at the close of the 2nd century, but received wide currency [common use in intellectual discussion] and formal elucidation [clarification] only in the 4th and 5th centuries”(1996, “Trinity”). That same source goes on to explain that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity was the result of several inadequate attempts to explain who and what the Christian God really is . . . To deal with these problems the Church Fathers met in [A.D.] 325 at the Council of Nicaea to set out an orthodox biblical definition concerning the divine identity.” However, it wasn’t until 381, “at the Council of Constantinople, [that] the divinity of the Spirit was affirmed” (ibid.). We see, then, that the doctrine of the Trinity wasn’t formalized until long after the Bible was completed and the apostles were long dead in their graves. It took later theologians centuries to sort out what they believed and to formulate belief in the Trinity!
Why can’t theologians explain this doctrine?By no means are theologians’ explanations of the Trinity doctrine clear. Religious writer A.W. Tozer, in his book The Knowledge of the Holy, states that the Trinity is an “incomprehensible mystery” and that attempts to understand it “must remain forever futile.” He admits that churches, “without pretending to understand,” have nevertheless continued to teach this doctrine (1961, pp. 17-18). He then remarkably concludes, “The fact that it cannot be satisfactorily explained, instead of being against it, is in its favor” (p. 23). The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, in its article on the Trinity, concedes that the Trinitarian concept is humanly incomprehensible: “It is admitted by all who thoughtfully deal with this subject that the Scripture revelation here leads us into the presence of a deep mystery; and that all human attempts at expression are of necessity imperfect” (1988, p. 1308). Cyril Richardson, professor of church history at New York’s Union Theological Seminary, though a dedicated Trinitarian himself, said this in his book The Doctrine of The Trinity: “My conclusion, then, about the doctrine of the Trinity is that it is an artificial construct . . . It produces confusion rather than clarification; and while the problems with which it deals are real ones, the solutions it offers are not illuminating. It has posed for many Christians dark and mysterious statements, which are ultimately meaningless, because it does not sufficiently discriminate in its use of terms” (1958, pp. 148-149). He also admitted, “Much of the defense of the Trinity as a ‘revealed’ doctrine is really an evasion of the objections that can be brought against it” (p. 16). A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge states regarding the Trinity, “Precisely what that doctrine is, or rather precisely how it is to be explained, Trinitarians are not agreed among themselves” (Lyman Abbott, editor, 1885, “Trinitarians”). Why do even those who believe in the Trinity find it so difficult to explain? The answer is simple yet shocking: It’s because the Bible does not teach it! One cannot prove or explain something from the Bible that is not biblical! The Bible is our only reliable source of divine revelation. And the truth, as we will see, is that the Trinity concept simply is not part of God’s revelation to humankind. But don’t just take our word for it! Let’s see what some standard works of biblical scholarship and other individual scholars say.
Surprising admissions that the Trinity isn’t in the Bible!Notice these admissions from a number of reputable sources and authors who, while themselves affirming the Trinity, acknowledge that the word “Trinity” and the doctrine is not found in the Bible. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia acknowledges that “‘trinity’ is a second-century term found nowhere in the Bible, and the Scriptures present no finished Trinitarian statement” (1988, Vol. 4, “Trinity,” p. 914). It further states that “church fathers crystallized the doctrine in succeeding centuries”—long after the apostles had passed from the scene. The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary tells us, “The formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the NT [New Testament]” (Paul Achtemeier, editor, 1996, “Trinity”). The HarperCollins Encyclopedia of Catholicism states: “Today, however, scholars generally agree that there is no doctrine of the Trinity as such in either the OT [Old Testament] or the NT [New Testament]. . . It would go far beyond the intention and thought-forms of the OT to suppose that a late-fourth-century or thirteenth-century Christian doctrine can be found there . . . Likewise, the NT does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity” (Richard McBrien, general editor, 1995, “God,” pp. 564-565). The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, in its article on the Trinity, explains: “Neither the word Trinity nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament . . . The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies . . . It was not until the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons” (1985 edition, Micropaedia, Vol. 11, p. 928). The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology points out that “primitive Christianity did not have an explicit doctrine of the Trinity such as was subsequently elaborated in the creeds of the early church” (Colin Brown, editor, Vol. 2, 1976, “God,” p. 84). Historian and science fiction writer H.G. Wells, in his noted work The Outline of History, points out, “There is no evidence that the apostles of Jesus ever heard of the trinity—at any rate from him” (1920, Vol. 2, p. 499). Martin Luther, the German priest who initiated the Protestant Reformation, conceded, “It is indeed true that the name ‘Trinity’ is nowhere to be found in the Holy Scriptures, but has been conceived and invented by man” (reproduced in The Sermons of Martin Luther, John Lenker, editor, Vol. 3, 1988, p. 406). The Oxford Companion to the Bible states: “Because the Trinity is such an important part of later Christian doctrine, it is striking that the term does not appear in the New Testament. Likewise, the developed concept of three coequal partners in the Godhead, found in later creedal formulations, cannot be clearly detected within the confines of the canon [i.e., actual Scripture]” (Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan, editors, 1993, “Trinity,” p. 782). Professor Charles Ryrie, in his respected work Basic Theology, writes: “Many doctrines are accepted by evangelicals as being clearly taught in the Scripture for which there are no proof texts. The doctrine of the Trinity furnishes the best example of this. It is fair to say that the Bible does not clearly teach the doctrine of the Trinity . . . In fact, there is not even one proof text, if by proof text we mean a verse or passage that ‘clearly’ states that there is one God who exists in three persons” (1999, p. 89). Ryrie goes on to state: “The above illustrations prove the fallacy of concluding that if something is not proof-texted in the Bible we cannot clearly teach the results . . . If that were so, I could never teach the doctrine of the Trinity” (p. 90). Millard Erickson, research professor of theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes that the Trinity “is not clearly or explicitly taught anywhere in Scripture, yet it is widely regarded as a central doctrine, indispensable to the Christian faith. In this regard, it goes contrary to what is virtually an axiom of biblical doctrine, namely, that there is a direct correlation between the scriptural clarity of a doctrine and its cruciality to the faith and life of the church. “In view of the difficulty of the subject and the great amount of effort expended to maintain this doctrine, we may well ask ourselves what might justify all this trouble” ( God in Three Persons: A Contemporary Interpretation of the Trinity,1995,p. 12). Professor Erickson further states that the Trinity teaching “is not present in biblical thought, but arose when biblical thought was pressed into this foreign mold [of Greek concepts]. Thus, the doctrine of the Trinity goes beyond and even distorts what the Bible says about God” (p. 20). Professor Erickson later points out: “It is claimed that the doctrine of the Trinity is a very important, crucial, and even basic doctrine. If that is indeed the case, should it not be somewhere more clearly, directly, and explicitly stated in the Bible? If this is the doctrine that especially constitutes Christianity’s uniqueness . . . how can it be only implied in the biblical revelation? . . . For here is a seemingly crucial matter where the Scriptures do not speak loudly and clearly. “Little direct response can be made to this charge. It is unlikely that any text of Scripture can be shown to teach the doctrine of the Trinity in a clear, direct, and unmistakable fashion” (pp. 108-109). Later in this booklet, we will consider various scriptures often used to support the Trinity doctrine. Shirley Guthrie, Jr., professor of theology at Columbia Theological Seminary, writes: “The Bible does not teach the doctrine of the Trinity. Neither the word ‘trinity’ itself nor such language as ‘one-in-three,’ ‘three-in-one,’ one ‘essence’ (or ‘substance’), and three ‘persons,’ is biblical language. The language of the doctrine is the language of the ancient church taken from classical Greek philosophy” (Christian Doctrine,1994, pp. 76-77).” The background for how the Trinity was introduced.Since the Trinity is not found in the Bible, as so many scholars and theologians admit, how did it come to be viewed as such an important teaching? Theology professors Roger Olson and Christopher Hall explain part of the puzzle in their book The Trinity: “It is understandable that the importance placed on this doctrine is perplexing to many lay Christians and students. Nowhere is it clearly and unequivocally stated in Scripture . . . How can it be so important if it is not explicitly stated in Scripture? . . . “The doctrine of the Trinity developed gradually after the completion of the New Testament in the heat of controversy, but the church fathers who developed it believed they were simply exegeting [explaining] divine revelation and not at all speculating or inventing new ideas. The full-blown doctrine of the Trinity was spelled out in the fourth century at two great ecumenical (universal) councils: Nicea (325 A.D.) and Constantinople (381 A.D.)” (2002, pp. 1-2). We see from this and other sources quoted above that the idea of a Trinity was foreign to the biblical writers. Instead, as many of these sources openly acknowledge, the doctrine of the Trinity developed considerably later and over a span of several centuries.
For further study on WHY the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of Oneness are both false teachings please read the in-depth sound Biblical Bible studies in “A LIST OF STUDIES ON THE TRINITY!” Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the WHOLE word of Almighty God. Your brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Mark. RETURN TO HOMEPAGE AT |
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