Home | The Dark Side Of The Trinity

'Though the exact terms in which the Church has formally defined the dogma of the Blessed Trinity. . .are not in the Bible, and may, therefore, in a sense be called unscriptural..'

THE DOCTRINE OF the Trinity is a widespread belief accepted by many so-called Christians today. This belief, which many presume as biblical, states that God consists of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Though convinced that each person in the Trinity is allegedly God, believers of this doctrine uphold that there is only one God.

If we are to consult the Bible, did God, or Christ, or the apostles ever teach that there is any God other than the Father? What is the testimony of God about Himself which Christ and the apostles also taught? The Bible states:

"Tell and bring forth your case; yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is none besides Me." (Is. 45:21, New King James Version)

God Himself declared that He is the only God. He further emphasized that He alone is God by stating that there is no other God besides Himself:

"Do not fear, nor be afraid; have I not told you from that time, and declared it? You are My witnesses. Is there a God besides Me? Indeed there is no other Rock; 1 know not one." (Is. 44:8, Ibid.)

The true God recognizes no other God besides Himself. Even the early servants of God learned this truth as attested to by King David:

"Therefore You are great, a Lord God. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears." (II Sam. 7:'22, Ibid. )

Take note that God's early servants did not introduce Him in three divine persons but as one Almighty God. According to King David, there is no one like God and there is no other besides Him. He further emphasized this point by stating, "For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God" (Ps. 86:10, Ibid.).

Thus, there is only one true God. If people recognize a god other than the one true God taught by the Bible, then they have not come to know the true God as taught by the Scriptures.

The Father is the only true God

Who is the only God introduced by Christ? The Savior Himself stated:

"JESUS spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. ... And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent'." Gn. 17:1, 3, Ibid.)

Christ introduced the Father in heaven as the only true God. On the other hand, He (Christ) introduced Himself as sent by God-not a co-person of God. By calling the Father as the only true God, Christ Himself proved that He is not God.

Even the apostles recognized only one God, the Father, and never made mention of one God consisting of three beings or persons:

"For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords),

"Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." (I Cor. 8:5-6, Ibid.)

God, Christ, and the apostles never taught that there is more than one God. The only true God taught by Christ and by the apostles is the Father in heaven. They did not include the Son and the Holy Spirit. But, it is not surprising that there are those who teach other gods besides the Father. The Bible says:

"However, there is not in everyone that knowledge." (I Cor. 8:7, Ibid.)

Indeed, the Bible testifies that there are people who have not come to the knowledge of the truth concerning the only true God-that the true knowledge about God is not in every man. As proof, we are witnesses to the existence of various religions preaching doctrines on God that go against the teachings of the Bible.

God neither dies nor changes

What is the belief of Catholics and Protestants about God? In the book The Faith of Our Fathers, this is written:

"In this one God there are three distinct Persons,-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, who are perfectly equal to each other." (p. 1)

Catholics, like the Protestants, believe that there is one God with three distinct persons. For them, God consists of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. What happened to God according to Catholic belief? The book The Story of the Church says:

"... God had become Man to save the world and to bring back to mankind all the blessings that had been lost by Original Sin. The God-Man had established a Church in which He would remain on earth until the end of the world to teach men the Truth and to make them holy." (p. 86)

But does God agree with the teaching that He became a human being? God Himself proclaimed in Hosea 11:9, "... For 1 am God, and not man" (NKJV). Thus, the belief that God became man runs contrary to the teaching of the Lord God Himself.

If it were true that God became man in the person of Christ, then it would mean that when Christ died, God also died. But does the true God experience death? This is what the Bible states:

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (I TIm. 1:17, Ibid.)

According to the Bible, the only true God is immortal. On the other hand, Christ died on the cross. Thus, Christ cannot be God since the true God does not die. Furthermore, what doctrine of the Bible is contradicted by the teaching that God had incarnated and changed into a man? God stated:

"For I am the LORD, I do not change." (Mal. 3:6, Ibid.)

The teaching that God incarnated and changed to man, therefore, is against the truth written in the Bible. Why are we so certain that the doctrine concerning the incarnation of God to man is a grave error? James 1:17 says:

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." (Ibid.)

The true God has always remained God-from everlasting to everlasting. He has never incarnated into a man for He does not change or undergo even a shadow of change.

A man-made teaching

Even the term "Trinity" was merely invented. Augustus Hopkins Strong stated in his book Systematic Theology:

"The term 'Trinity' is not found in Scripture, ... The invention of the term is ascribed to Tertullian." (p. 304)

The doctrine of the Trinity is a manmade teaching. Nowhere can this term be found in the Holy Scriptures. The doctrine itself runs counter to the teachings of God, of Christ, and of the apostles. According to the Bible, we should not give heed or believe in the commandments of men that run contrary to the truth of God written in the Holy Scriptures (TItus 1:14).

It's not only the term "Trinity" that is not found in the Bible. Bible scholars further reveal:

"Though the exact terms in which the Church has formally defined the dogma of the Blessed Trinity ... are not in the Bible, and may, therefore, in a sense be called unscriptural. . ." (The Divine Trinity: A Dogmatic Treatise, p. 22)

Proponents of the Trinity doctrine themselves admit that the dogma of the triune God is unscriptural.

The belief that will lead to eternal life

A grave misfortune awaits those who have received false and unbiblical doctrines. The Bible sternly warns:

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

"Idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

"Envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God." (Gal. 5:19-21, NKJV)

Those who practice heresy or rebel against the teachings of the Bible will not inherit the kingdom of God. Thus, belief in unbiblical teachings such as the doctrine of the Trinity will not lead anyone to the kingdom of God. On the other hand, which doctrine will lead man to the attainment of eternal life? The Savior said:

"JESUS spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: 'Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,

"As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent'." (In.17:1-3, Ibid. )

The belief that the Father is the only true God is the truth written in the Scriptures. This belief, as emphasized by the Lord Jesus Christ, will lead man to the attainment of eternal life.

References:
Gibbons, James. The Faith of Our Fathers: A Plain Exposition and Vindication of the Church Founded by Our Lord Jesus Christ. illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., 1980.
Johnson, George, et al. The Story of the Church. USA: Benziger Brothers, 1935.
Ott, Ludwig. Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, 4th ed. Rockford, illinois: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc., n.d.
Pohle, Rt. Rev. Msgr. Joseph. The Divine Trinity: A Dogmatic Treatise. Missouri: B. Herder Book Co., 1911.
Strong, Augustus H. Systematic Theology. Philadelphia: The Hudson Press, 1907.

Published in GOD'S MESSAGE/April 2000, pp.11-13

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