Does the Mention of God, Jesus, & the holy Spirit Prove the Trinity?
Trinitarians say that places in the Bible in which God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are mentioned together prove their doctrine is true. However, the Trinity doctrine goes far beyond acknowledging the existence of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. What exactly is the Trinity doctrine? A very good, concise, definition by a devoted Trinitarian expert is:
“Within the One Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal and coeternal persons, namely, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”—The Forgotten Trinity, page 23
The Trinity doctrine thus goes far being three individuals working together for the common good and common goals. God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the holy Spirit are said to be three persons within one being, and the three persons are coequal and coeternal.
So, let’s examine the scriptures where the three are mentioned together to see if they support Trinity doctrine, or not.
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'”—Matthew 3:16,17 NIV
The three are mentioned in this context, and yes, indeed, the three exist! Jesus is in the water, on earth. The holy Spirit is in the air, moving to alight on Jesus. God the Father is in heaven, and refers to his Son, but not to any “second person of the Trinity.” However, not one aspect of the Trinity doctrine is elucidated here. There is no mention of any equality, being Almighty, existing from eternity, or the three being one and the same. The Trinitarian contention that the Holy Spirit is “the third person of the the Trinity” is debunked by the apostle John’s description of the very same occasion: “John bore witness, ‘I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove and it remained on him'”—John 1:32 ESV. An “it” is not a person. There are only two persons in the picture here–God and Jesus.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'”—Matthew 28:18,19 NIV
Jesus has been given “all authority” by his Father. Jesus said, “I do not speak on my own authority” (John 12:49 NLT); 14:10 NIV). By this “authority” that he was “given,” Jesus commands his disciples to baptize “in the name of”, or under the authority of, “the Father . . . the Son . . . and of the Holy Spirit”. Thus, the existence of the three is recognized and acknowledged, but no aspect of the Trinity doctrine is mentioned, or even implied, here–No equality, existing from eternity, Almightiness, or being one and the same!
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all”—2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV
The same situation exists here, the three are named as existing, and are in the same context, true enough. This is a fact. However, once again, not one single aspect of the Trinity doctrine is elucidated here. No equality, no being Almighty, no existing from eternity, nor the three being one and the same, is mentioned.
If three being mentioned together in one context somehow means there is a Trinity, then why are the following three not a Trinity?
“I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaichus arrived, because they supplied what was lacking from you”—1 Corinthians 16:17 NIV
Here we have three Christian men mentioned together. Why are they not a Trinity? The fact is that three mentioned together do not meet the definition of any aspect the Trinity doctrine.
Trinitarians are simply grabbing at straws when they use scriptures such as Matthew 3:16,17; Matthew 29:18,19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 where the three are mentioned together to support the dogma! In fact, there is not one verse, or place, in the Bible’s 31,000 verses that mentions anything about three persons existing within one God, or anything about the three being coequal, or coeternal.
4 thoughts on “Does the Mention of God, Jesus, & the holy Spirit Prove the Trinity?”
Why don’t the authors of the articles on this website identify themselves? Tell us who you are and what you are affiliated with. Otherwise, how can we have confidence in what you write?
We are Christians who hold to the Bible as the “inspired” “word of God” (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
A number of the Bible’s 66 books were written anonymously, including many of the Psalms. For example, look at Psalms 105-121, and 146-150. No names are attached to any of these.
Not knowing who the author is does not diminish the value of the work. Follow the Bible principle to, “test everything and hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 NJB). Follow the example of the Bereans, of whom it was said, “every day they studied the scriptures to see whether it was true” (Acts 17:11 NJB).
Judge the works on their own merit.
BA: We are Christians who hold to the Bible as the “inspired” “word of God” (2 Timothy 3:16,17; 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
GW: That’s insufficient identification. You should state your full name, your general location, your denomination, and your educational background, at least the first time you comment. Later, just your true full name would suffice.
BA: A number of the Bible’s 66 books were written anonymously, including many of the Psalms. For example, look at Psalms 105-121, and 146-150. No names are attached to any of these.
GW: When an author is anonymous, this should be indicated with “Anonymous.”
BA: Not knowing who the author is does not diminish the value of the work.
GW: False. It does diminish the value of the work. The work can be better evaluated if the author is known.
BA: Follow the Bible principle to, “test everything and hold on to what is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21 NJB). Follow the example of the Bereans, of whom it was said, “every day they studied the scriptures to see whether it was true” (Acts 17:11 NJB).
GW: That is good advice, but it doesn’t excuse the omission of authorship.
BA: Judge the works on their own merit.
GW: Merit is evaluated best when authorship is presented. Don’t make excuses for a bad practice.
I agree with you John on this point. The authors should always identify themselves, giving their names and affiliations at the least.