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Is The Trinity In Matthew?

Is The Trinity In Matthew?

 
Matthew 21:34–37 on Papyrus 104(recto; c. AD 150)[1]
 

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) read more

Are Jesus and God the Father Two Separate Individuals?

Are Jesus and God the Father Two Separate Individuals?

  <a class=John 8:17-18 NLT Illustrated: "What Greater Witness ..." />   Are Jesus and God the Father two separate individuals? This seems like a strange question to ask. Trinitarians try to explain how their doctrine works with explanations such as this: “While the three persons of the Godhead are distinct, they cannot be separated. That is, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are co-equal and co-eternal. They exist simultaneously, not consecutively” (Trinitarian website). Does this make any sense? They claim the doctrine is true, yet, they admit it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to understand. Let’s examine what the Bible says, and see if the truth is really that difficult to understand.    John 8:16-18 “If I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me” (NIV). In these verses, Jesus twice says “the Father . . . sent” him, which means they are two separate and distinct people, because the sender and the one sent cannot be the same, nor can they be in the same location. He also says the Father is with him, indicating they are separate and distinct. Jesus also says the witness of “two” individuals is true. ‘I’m one, and my Father who sent me is the other,’ he says.  Obviously, Jesus and his Father are two separate and distinct people.

John 10:30 – Are the Father and Jesus “one” within a Trinity? Or, are they “one” in unity, the same as the disciples are in John 17:11,20-23?  Since the disciples are not “God”, yet are to be “one” with God and Jesus and with one another, obviously they are “one” in unity. The Greek word “hen” is in the neuter gender, and is translated as “one”, but this is not the numeral “one”. To be the numeral “one” it would have to be in the masculine gender. Anyway, at John 8:17,18, Jesus said that he and his Father are “two”, numerically speaking. read more

Was Jesus Created?

Was Jesus Created?

<a class=Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the ..." />

Was Jesus created? – No. not according many Bible scholars, preachers, creeds, and Christian denominations, who say Jesus has existed from eternity. Notice:

“The Son uncreated . . . the Son eternal”—Athanasian Creed

“Within the one Being that is God, there exists three eternally . . . coeternal persons”—The Forgotten Trinity, by James White, p 23

Since this is the case, why is there even any question about whether or not Jesus was created? — The reason why is because of what the Bible has to say. read more

When Were Satan and His Angels Thrown Out of Heaven?

When Were Satan and His Angels Thrown Out of Heaven?

Some say that Satan and his angels were ousted from heaven before humans were created, some say it was just before, or just after, Adam and Eve sinned, some say this event is yet future. The Jehovah’s Witnesses even claim it was in a specific year — 1914. What does the Bible really say? When were Satan and his angels thrown, or cast, out of heaven?

Prior to Jesus’ death, resurrection and exaltation, Satan & his angels still had access to heaven, as can be seen from Job 1:6; 2:1, and possibly Luke 22:31 read more

Is Jesus the Only Begotten God?

Is Jesus the Only Begotten God?

 
The Gospel of John

Is Jesus “the only begotten God” (John 1:18). Most translations render the phrase as, “the only begotten Son”. However, the very important Greek manuscript P66 from about 175-200 CE, shown above, has “the only begotten God” at John 1:18. But, why the difference? Which rendering from the Greek text of John 1:18 is more accurate? How can Jesus be “God” (John 1:1), and also be “the begotten from the Father” (John 1:14)

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” (NASB). read more

Is The Holy Spirit A Person?

Is The Holy Spirit A Person?

Trinitarians have used some scriptures out of context to assert “proof” of their dogma that the holy Spirit is a person. Is the holy Spirit a person? This article analyzes some of the assertions Trinitarians have made about certain scriptures, claiming the holy Spirit is a person. These so-called “proofs of the personhood of the holy Spirit” are each debunked, one by one, as follows. The Trinitarian “proofs” of “the personhood of the holy Spirit” are shown in italics, and the Biblical explanations of truth follow each one. read more

Was Jesus Incarnated as a God-man with a Dual Nature?

Was Jesus Incarnated as a God-man with a Dual Nature?

Two natures of Christ | Hypostatic Union, Description ...

Was Jesus really a God-man with a Dual Nature?

“Thy calf . . . the invention of Israel: a workman made it, and it is no god”—Hosea 8:5,6 Douay-Rheims

The Trinity doctrine of ‘the Father, the Son and the holy Spirit each being God, yet there is only one God,’ was finally formulated in 381 CE at the Council of Constantinople, almost 300 years after the Bible was complete. But this doctrine created some problems with things the Bible said. Almighty God is “eternal”, “who alone has immortality” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV; 6:16 NAB). Since Jesus Christ is said to be God, how could someone who is eternal and immortal die?  Seventy years later, in 451 CE, over 350 years after the Bible was complete, at the Council of Chalcedon, the Trinitarian church leaders came up with a way to solve the problem of Jesus being God, yet he died.  They came up with a seemingly ingenious, yet mysterious, idea that Jesus became a “God-man” who had an “Incarnation” with a “Dual Nature”,  something they called a “Hypostatic Union”, thus claiming that the man Jesus died, but the God Jesus continued to live on. These ideas became a central component of the Trinity doctrine, as we can see from the following quotes: read more

Does Jesus Being Called “Lord” Mean He is God?

Does Jesus Being Called “Lord” Mean He is God?

Jesus is Lord — Grace Bible Church Maui

Even though the Bible is clear that there are, “in fact there are many gods and many lords” (1 Corinthians 8:5 NRSV). a question arises, Does Jesus being called “Lord” mean he’s God?

Ephesians 1:3 – “…to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This verse clearly indicates that Jesus has a God over him. This God of Jesus is his Father. Someone who has God over him cannot be God. The fact that Jesus is called “Lord” obviously doesn’t make him God.

Ephesians 4:5,6 – “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.” (ESV) Jesus is the “one Lord” here, and Yahweh, his Father, is the “one God.” This unity is expressed in very simple terms. A key takeaway from this verse is that the “one God” does not include the “one Lord”, Jesus Christ. Without Jesus being God, the Trinity doctrine collapses.

1 Corinthians 8:6 – “there is for us only one God, the Father, who is the Creator of all things and for whom we live; and there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.” (GNB) – An obvious distinction is here made here between God, who is “the Creator of all things”, and ‘Jesus Christ, through whom God created everything’. Even though Jesus is called “Lord”, that doesn’t make him either “God”, or “the Creator”. Those titles belong to the “the Father”, as we can see from this verse. read more

The Trinity – A Doctrine In Crisis

The Trinity – A Doctrine In Crisis

The Trinity is not a Biblical belief

The Trinity is a doctrine in crisis these days.

The following article, entitled “Most Americans Don’t Believe In The Trinity”, was published on March 30, 2025 in The Christian Post:

“An overwhelming majority of Christians reject the basic Christian teaching of the Trinity, prompting new concerns that Americans are living without the influence of “the truths and life principles of God.”

The Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University released the latest installment of its American Worldview Inventory series which documents Americans’ views on the Trinity. The research is based on responses collected from 2,100 adults in January.

Overall, just 40% of respondents believe that God exists and affects people’s lives. That figure rises to 53% among self-identified Christians, 60% among theologically-identified born-again Christians, and 100% among Integrated Disciples. The latter term refers to those who have a biblical worldview. While a majority of those surveyed (59%) believe in the existence of Jesus Christ, a significantly smaller share of adults (29%) believe in the Holy Spirit.

Slightly more than 1 in 10 respondents (11%) believe in the Trinity, that the God of the Bible is “three distinct but inseparable and equal persons in one infinite Being.” The persons in the Trinity are God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Belief in the Trinity, characterized by the Cultural Research Center as a “fundamental tenet of Christianity,” increases to 16% among self-identified Christians, 24% among theologically-identified born-again Christians and 62% among Integrated Disciples.

“These results are further evidence of the limited or lack of trust Americans have in the Bible, the limitations we place on the authority and influence of God, and our refusal to cooperate with God by living in harmony with His ways and purposes,” said CRC Director of Research George Barna in response to the survey results. “Even the statistics for the groups that are most in-tune with biblical teachings, such as belief in the nature and impact of the Trinity, are shockingly low for a nation in which most people claim to be Christian.” read more

What Are Sheol, Gehenna and Hades?

What Are Sheol, Gehenna and Hades?

 
Gehinnom
Valley of Hinnom
A photo of Gehenna at Jerusalem   Many Bibles render the Hebrew words Sheol, Gehenna and Hades as “Hell”. What are the accurate translations? The following is an actual discussion about this issue.

BA: “Hell” translates the Greek word “hades”, not “Gehenna”.

XX: Please present evidence from an expert on your claim about the translation. I want quotes, citations, and links.

BA–“Gehenna . . . It is place where the wicked are destroyed body and soul, which perhaps echos the idea of annihilation (Mt 10:28). . . . These passages suggest the apocalyptic imagery of other NT passages is to be taken for what is, imagery, and not as strictly literal theological affirmation”—Dictionary of the Bible, pp 299-300, by John L McKenzie, S. J. read more

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