We continue our series about what is stated concerning Jesus in the various books of the New Testament, by examining the Gospel of Luke. Is the Trinity doctrine in the book of Luke?
Luke 1:31 – “Name him Jesus,” (not God)
Luke 1:32 – “called the Son of the Most High, the Lord God will give him the throne of David” – The greater gives to the lesser. He will be called, not God, but “the Son of the Most High” who is “the Lord God.”
In the 27 books of the New Testament (NT), this core doctrine (the Trinity) of most Protestant, Catholic, and non-denominational churches should be prolific, and abundantly clear. Is it?
Each New Testament Bible book has certain statements of its main points, its core ideas. Church leaders generally assert that the Father is God, Jesus, the Son, is God, and the holy Spirit is God, and yet, they are just one God, not three Gods. They are said to be each eternal and equal in this “Godhead,” as they call it. If these ideas are true, we should see this clearly in the NT. Do we?
What are these scriptures in the gospel Mark teaching? Is the Trinity in Mark? — Is Jesus Christ God Almighty, and God the Son, or is he the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Son of Man?
Mark 1:1 – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ [the Son of God]” (NAB). “Some important manuscripts here omit the Son of God” (NAB note on Mark 1:1). One important point that we can glean from this is that no manuscripts of Mark 1:1 calls Jesus ‘God,’ or ‘God the Son.’
Is the Trinity doctrine in the book of John? Is Jesus Christ Almighty God? The gospel of John opens with the words:
“The Word was God”—John 1:1
The Bible itself is completely reliable and trustworthy (2 Timothy 3:16,17). It “actually is, the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV). However, there are some “false doctrines” (1 Timothy 1:3,4 NIV) taught by many religions, churches, and preachers as though they were “the truth” (John 17:17). The Trinity doctrine is commonly preached and believed, but it is controversial. The gospel of John is the Bible book most often used in support of the Trinity doctrine. We need to know whether the Trinity doctrine is in the book of John, or whether it is what these Bible scholars say it is:
Shown below are some scriptures that are used to prove Jesus Christ is Almighty God. Let’s carefully examine these in the light of the scriptures.
Isaiah 9:6 – “Mighty God”. Notice that the scripture doesn’t call him “Almighty God”. It calls him “Mighty God”. Jesus is powerful, but not all-powerful. Almighty God told Moses, “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh” (Exodus 7:1 NKJV). The verse also predicts: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given”. “Child” and “son”cannot apply to Almighty God because “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV).
The letter of 1 John was one of the last books of the New Testament to be written. Trinitarians say that the New Testament teaches the Trinity doctrine with absolute definiteness. If these assertions are true, we should surely find some evidence of such at this late date in the first century, because “the faith . . . was once for all handed down to the holy ones” (Jude 3 NAB) with the completion of the Bible. So let’s see exactly what we do find when we examine the scriptures themselves:
In our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit, and whether there is any evidence of the Trinity doctrine, in the various books of the New Testament, we will examine the book of Romans.
“Romans is theologically the most important of all the epistles written by Paul, and it contains his most comprehensive and logical presentation of the gospel . . . this foundational New Testament book”—Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, page 380
Is the Trinity in Matthew?
“A true and accurate knowledge of the Trinity is a blessing in and of itself . . . the Trinity is the highest revelation God has made of himself to His people. It is the capstone, the summit, the brightest star in the firmament of divine truths”—The Forgotten Trinity, page 10
“The Gospel according to Matthew . . . no other was so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity”—Preface to Matthew in the New American Bible (NAB)