Hope

• 1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear

– How can we do this if we are uncertain

– We have to know who God is

– Only that which you fully know you can

answer for

Doctrine

• Some say doctrine is not so important

• 1Tim 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Christians today…

• 95 % of Christians adhere to some form of the doctrine of the trinity

• Officially, according to church doctrine (Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Evangelist, Methodist, etc, etc), you have to believe in the trinity to be saved

• Most Trinitarians themselves however only have a vague idea, being confused by it themselves…

• Therefore search the scriptures and see for ourselves

• We will see the trinity is unbiblical and echo a pagan belief in three gods

Definition

• The Trinity is a Christian doctrine, stating that God is one Being Who exists, simultaneously and eternally, as a mutual indwelling of three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son (incarnate as Jesus Christ), and the God Holy Spirit. These persons share the same essence, and have existed from eternity(EncyclopediaBrittanica)

• They however maintain also that the trinity is beyond our comprehension and cannot be adequately explained

• On the other hand, belief in the trinity is a prerequisite to salvation

• The official doctrine of the trinity is laid out in several doctrinal creeds, the most important one the Niceno-Constantinople Creed of 381 AD

Problem # 1

• Extra-biblical

• The word “Trinity” is not in the bible, neither is the doctrinal formula– By definition this makes the trinity an

extrabiblical doctrine

• The word “One God” is, for instance– Mar 12:32 And the scribe said unto him, Well,

Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

Problem # 2

• Contradicting common logic about God• God is always referred to as singular, never persons (Is 44:24)• Trinitarians are dividing the Godhead into three distinct beings, that

have always existed• “distinct” is a synonymn for “separate”• Mar 12:29-32

– (29) And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is , Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

– (30) And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

– (31) And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

– (32) And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

• The word One, echad, means one, sometimes compound one, sometimes mathematical one

Problem # 3• Various trinity concepts contradict the bible• The persons are to be said “distinct”, which by definition

implies a separation. Never God is referred to as being “persons”– God has One person according to Heb 1:3

• The persons are said to be co-eternal, this word is not in the bible

– There was a time the Son was not, there is no eternal Son or “God the Son” in the bible. (Ps 2:7, Heb 1:5)

• The persons are said to be co-equal, this word is not in the bible– But Jesus said “the Father is greater than I” John 14:28– In Phil 2:6, Jesus is equal with (God because He is

God), it doesn't say He is equal to the Father

• The same essence, substance, as referring to God is not in the bible

Problem # 4

• Before 300 AD, no Christian was a Trinitarian

• The words “One God in three persons”were not used before this time

• Let look at the history

Birth of the trinity

• Around 150 AD Justin Martyr compared the

Word of God to the Greek concept of Logos

• Around 200 AD, Tertullian first spoke about the

trinity, it had a hierarchy however

• Origen used the Logos to define the eternally

begotten Son concept

• Both Origen as well as Tertullian were later

called heretics

• Justin Martyr called Socrates a Christian

Arius and Nicea

• Around 325 AD, a presber name Arius rebelled in Alexandria against his bishop, Athanasius, causing division

• Arius held that Jesus was a created god, a creation from God the Father (this resembles present day JW)

• Athanasius conversely defended the One God in co-equal, co-eternal, con-essential persons

• The church at that point was no longer under persecution, like under Nero, Diocletian in the first two centuries

• Emperor Constantine was a semi-pagan, shrewd politician, not receiving baptism until on his deathbed

Arius and Nicea

• The controvery ran deep, and threatened the unity of the empire of semi-christian/pagan Roman emperor Constantine

• He decided together all the bishops for the conference of Nicea to settle the issue, in 325 AD

• In Nicea, a text called the Nicene Creed was produced that defines the Father, Son and Holy Ghost

• Constantine personally intervened to formulate (part of) the text

• Lets look at this creed…

The Nicene Creed• They produced this text:• We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of all

things visible and invisible.

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God], Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; (“homoousios” by Constantine!)

• by whom all things were made [both in heaven and on earth];

• who for us men, and for our salvation, came down and was incarnate and was made man;

• he suffered, and the third day he rose again, ascended into heaven;

• from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

• And in the Holy Ghost

Problem

• There is no God generated from God– Isa 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the

LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.

• Trinitarians follow not the bible, but the Nicene Creed

• They produce Gods (NASB, John 1:16)

A New God...

• NASB – John 1:18 No one has seen God at any time;

the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

• What ???

• This is the only bible that really has implemented the Nicene Creed

What is God

• 1Tim 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who

is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of

kings, and Lord of lords;

• (16) Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the

light which no man can approach unto; whom no

man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour

and power everlasting. Amen.

• Before the Son was begotten, God was not

Father, just God

Holy Spirit and Constantinople

• The Creed was forced upon the bishops

• Fighting broke out between Arius’ and Athanasius’ supporters, resulting in killings

• A second council in 335 briefly reversed the situation to arianism

• Eventually a council in Constantinople settled the issue in 381 AD

• Here the Holy Ghost was made into a third person in the Godhead

• And the Son was made “eternally begotten”

The Niceno/Constantine Creed

381 AD, “directors cut”• Some extra text added after 66 years

• And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds (æons),Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father

• And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and apostolic Church; we acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

• There is now a committee of three...why is the creed changed within 66 years if it is so holy and essential?

Further Developments• The doctrine of the trinity was made complete with the

Athanasian creed, by an unknown writer and uncertain date, that is adhered to by most Trinitarian churches

• This was around 500 AD. After that:• Non Trinitarians were forbidden to own land

• Non Trinitarians were branded heretics, books burned and most ended up killed, the church began to behave like a power house, mixing with politics

• Most extra biblical texts that were copied started to include Trinitarian elements, even bible verses were affected (Matt 28:19)

• The final Catholic trinity was formulated by Augustine around 400 AD

• The church became the Holy Roman church around 500 AD, taking all power over earthly and heavenly things as the Roman Empire crumbled, and it remained the sole binding factor

Problems…

• There are severe problems with the doctrine of the trinity– The early church (before 300 AD) in majority did not

believe it

– It was developed over almost 600 years (from 200 AD – 800 AD)

– It is not found in the bible

– It is inconsistent with many scriptures in the NT

– It is inconsistent with the whole OT

– It cannot be explained or understood

– It constitutes a logical fallacy (3 persons = 1 God)

Problems in Scripture

• There are formal problems with the trinity– “trinity” is not in the bible

– God is never referred to as having more than 1 person or persons in the NT

– Nowhere in the OT is God “divided”

• The definition of the trinity is internally inconsistent– Three distinct persons that are one God is illogical

and counterintuitive

– It opens the door for three gods, something we see often in pagan religions

Problems in Scripture

• Did Jesus have two Fathers? The Holy Ghost begat Jesus (Mat 1:18-20, Luke 1:35), but God the Father also (1 Joh 1:3)

• How many Spirits are there? God the Father is a Spirit (John 4:24), Jesus is a Spirit (2 Cor 3:17, Phil 1:19, 1 Cor 15:45), and of course the Holy Spirit

• Was Jesus co-equal to the Father? Many verses state that Jesus was totally dependent on the Father (John 8:42; 14:28; I Corinthians 11:3)

• Was Jesus eternally begotten? Why did Jesus become flesh if he was already flesh from eternity? (John 1:1-14). Jesus had a beginning (Heb 1:5-6) and an end (I Corinthians 15:24-28)

Problems in Scripture

• Are there three Spirits in a Christian's heart? Father, Jesus, and the Spirit all dwell within a Christian (John 14:17, 23; Romans 8:9; Ephesians 3:14-17). Yet there is one Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:4).

• There is only one throne in heaven (Revelation 4:2). Who sits upon it? We know Jesus does (Revelation 1:8,18, 4:8). Where do the Father and the Holy Spirit sit?

• Is Jesus in the Godhead or is the Godhead in Jesus?Colossians 2:9 says the latter.

• Who raised Jesus from the dead? Did the Father (Ephesians 1:20), or Jesus (John 2:19-21), or the Spirit? (Romans 8:11).

• If the Holy Ghost is a co-equal member of the trinity, why does the Bible always speak of Him being sent from the Father or from Jesus? (John 14:26; 15:26)

Some popular verses…

• Matthew 28:19 seems to identify three persons. But “name” is singular. What is the name of the Holy Ghost? The name of the Father is Jesus (Jn 17:26)

• 1 John 5:7 compares heavenly and earthly witnesses, not three persons. Most translations consider it a later insertion

• Matt 3:16-17 Nowhere does it say that the Father speaks here. It could also be the Spirit. It represents the washing of the Levite

• Gen 1:26 The plural Elohim is used singular also, depending on the context. Verse 27 gives the answer…

• What do you expect to see when you get into heaven?

– Three persons with separate bodies

– One person with one body

– No idea…?

Three Gods ???

Note that this one looks

feminine…Mary???

Why is God blinking..???

Who are you?

• Do you display one or more of the following characteristics:

– Pray to the Father, or Lord, or Jesus directly and then thinking about the person of Jesus?

– Very rarely or not at all to the Holy Ghost?

– Is the doctrine of the trinity confusing to you?

• …You might be a One God believer

Confusing ???

The One God doctrine

• God is one, numerically– (Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV) Hear, O Israel: The LORD

our God is one LORD:

– (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV) And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

• God is called Father because He created everything, this is one of His titles

– (Malachi 2:10 KJV) Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?

– No beside Him (Is 45:5)

The One God Doctrine

• The Son of God– Gods flesh and blood (Acts 20:28)

– The Word of God made flesh, John 1:1-14

– Isa 63:5 And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me.

– Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

– Created everything (Col 1:16)

– In Him dwells God completely (Col 2:9)

– He is God manifest in the flesh (I Tim 3:16)

– He is God (1 Pe 5:20, John 8:24, John 20:28)

– The Father is in Him, no separate (John 14: 7-11)

– Yehovah (Zech 12:10, Is 26:19)

• God begat the Son to redeem us from our sins, He had to robe Himself in His own flesh

The One God Doctrine

• God created everything

– Isa 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things ; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

• God is the Father

– Isa 63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.

• Jesus created everything, Jesus is the Father– Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

– (16) For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

• Jesus is the Redeemer, so is God– Isa 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

• Jesus is the Father, a different role of God but same God– 1Cor 8:6 But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and

we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

Jesus and the Father

• Why was Jesus praying to the Father?– Jesus is the mediator (1 Tim 2:5)

– His role is to take away the curse on humanity

– This leaves Him praying for us, for we can not come directly to the Father

• 1Jo 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeththe Son hath the Father also .

• Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Conclusion

• The trinity is a man made, extra-biblical, pagan inspired doctrine that took hundreds of years of development, causing many crimes to have been committed and much blood shed, and for which there is no evidence in church life prior to 200 AD.

• Theologically and practically inconsistent, It is profoundly confusing to most believers, and contradicts with many essential scriptures. The scriptures that seem to support it at first glance can be explained more powerfully and consistently in terms of a singular God.

• All in all, the trinity has been developed as a radical answer to the heresy of Arrius (Jehovah Witness), and has ultimately overshot its goal, and can be at best considered a very limited theological model of the bible, and severely restricts the deeper understanding and joy of Christian life and eventually may prevent the acceptance of the gift of salvation by many.

• The One God doctrine offers a consistent view on bible scripture, and restores God, Yehovah, to His monotheistic essence, and brings back Jesus into the correct interpretation as Yehovah’s own flesh and blood. This Jesus lived, died on the cross, and was resurrected on the third day to take away our sins.

Extra

• The trinitarian Protestant theologian Emil

Brunner has stated, "The doctrine of the Trinity

itself, however, is not a Biblical doctrine and this

indeed not by accident but of necessity. It is the

product of theological reflection upon the

problem…. The ecclesiastical doctrine of the

Trinity is not only the product of genuine Biblical

thought, it is also the product of philosophical

speculation, which is remote from the thought of

the Bible."

Finally...

Zec 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in

that day shall there be one

LORD, and his name one.