The book of 1 Peter opens up with a statement that has been that has been used to support the Trinity doctrine. The question for us to consider is, “Do we find the Trinity in 1 Peter?”

Written some 30 years or so after Jesus’ death and the start of Christianity, 1 Peter is rich in doctrine. This is why we should find some evidence of the Trinity in 1 Peter, if the doctrine is true.Trinitarians point to the naming of the three who are said to be in the Trinity as proof of its existence. For example:

“Who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood” (1 Peter 1:2 NIV). Yes, the three are mentioned, and they do all three exist. The problem that Trinitarians have is that they count 1, 2, 3, and say, “Aha! There’s the Trinity!” However, the mere mention of three does not tell us anything about their supposed equality, nor of the supposed”personhood” of the Spirit, nor of their supposed “oneness” of substance. In fact, only one of the three is identified as God, which is something else that Trinitarians overlook. Rather, “God the Father” is shown to be in control with his “foreknowledge”. In fact, only “the Father” is said to have such “foreknowledge”, meaning that he knows things that “Jesus Christ” doesn’t know (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32; Acts 1:7), which is a very clear indication of the Father’s superiority over Jesus (John 14:28; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Philippians 2:12), and their separateness and distinction (John 8:17,18). The holy Spirit is here, as always, described by “the”, indicating that it is not a person, and therefore it cannot know anything. Being “sprinkled with” “Jesus” Christ’s “blood” indicates that he “”died”  (1 Corinthians 15:3), which also means that he cannot be Almighty God, since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . he has given us new birth . . . through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3 NIV). “The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” indicates that “God the Father” is the God of, or over, Jesus Christ, thus denoting his superiority. Peter obviously did not think that Jesus Christ was God. “The resurrection of Jesus Christ” implies his Father’s superiority because he brought his Son back from death. “From the dead” implies that Jesus was dead, which means he cannot be God, since “God . . . never die” (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV). Jesus admits that, “I was dead” (Revelation 1:18), meaning that his entire person was “dead,” not just the Trinitarian imagined “human part” of him. The “God-man” dogma of Trinitarianism is contradicted by 1 Peter.

“Investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ” (1 Peter 1:11 NAB). Trinitarians claim that “the Spirit of Christ” indicating things means it is a person. Many translation use “he” rather than “it.” However, “it” is the more accurate translation, as also rendered in the NRSV, and KJV. Additionally, Trinitarians overlook the very next verse, which talks about “the good news” which was “preached to you [through] the holy Spirit sent from heaven” (1 Peter 1:12 NAB). “The holy Spirit” was “sent from heaven,” by God. “No slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16 NAB). Thus, the Trinitarian imagined “God the Holy Spirit,” the third part of the Trinity, is not supported by this text, nor by any other scripture in the Bible.

“You call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially” (1 Peter 1:17 NIV). The facts made plain by this scripture are that, (1) Christians should pray to the Father (Matthew 6:9), and not the Son, or the holy spirit, and (2) that the Father, “God”, is the ultimate “judge of all”, not the Son (Hebrews 12:23), not the Trinity, not the holy Spirit, are made plain here.

“You were redeemed . . . with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18,19 NIV). Christ’s sacrificial death again is emphasized, reinforcing the fact that he can’t be God, since God cannot die (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV). The Bible never says that God died for our sins.

“He was chosen before the creation of the world” (1 Peter 1:20 NIV). Did Christ choose himself? No, not at all! “As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him” (1 Peter 2:4 NIV). God the Father did the choosing of Jesus, not the other way around, which proves the Father’s complete control, and that Jesus is very precious to his Father who is his superior. These thoughts from the scriptures are in direct conflict with the Trinity dogma.

“Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21 NIV). We go through Christ (John 14:6) to believe in, pray to, and serve, Almighty God. God brought Jesus back to life (Acts 2:32), and exalted him, and our ultimate faith and hope are in God the Father through Jesus. All this clearly proves God Almighty’s superiority over his Son, thus devastating the Trinity dogma!

“Offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5 NIV). Our sacrifices are to God through Jesus, which harmonizes with the entire Bible. God is shown as supreme, as always, and Jesus mediatorial role is emphasized (1 Timothy 2:5). A mediator cannot be either of the two parties for whom he mediates, which proves that Jesus cannot be God. Without Jesus being equal to God, and also being God, the Trinity doctrine collapses.

“He entrusted himself to the one who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23 NIV). This definitely shows Jesus’ submission to his Father, whom he called “my God” (Luke 23:46). Anyone, including Jesus, who has a God over him cannot be God.

“Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Peter 3:18 NIV). Notice that “Christ was put to death in the flesh”. Christ suffered on earth, but God didn’t because “God is a spirit” (John 4:24 GWT), and has never been a man (Numbers 23:19; Hosea 11:9). “Christ died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), which is something that God cannot do (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV). ‘God resurrected Jesus’ (Acts 2:32 HCSB), tells us Jesus can’t be God, since Jesus could not bring himself back to life.

Notice that “Christ was put to death in the flesh”. Jesus was not put to death as a “God-man”, which is something that even Trinitarians admit is not so. Instead, they claim that only the “human part” of Jesus died, but not his “God part”, which they claim lived on without dying. But the scripture says “Christ was put to death in the flesh”, without any such qualification. If any part of Jesus had remained alive, “Christ [could not have] died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

“After being made alive” (1 Peter 3:19 NIV). This again emphasizes that Christ was “made alive,” after being “dead” (Revelation 1:18), by being resurrected by Almighty God the Father (Acts 2:32).

“It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand” (1 Peter 3:21,22 NIV). God resurrected the dead Jesus, so God the Father is obviously superior, which is also emphasized by the fact that Jesus “is at God’s right hand”. This is also highlights their separateness, as well as the fact that Jesus cannot be God, since he’s at God’s right hand.

“So that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11 NIV). Jesus’ role as mediator is again emphasized here. Christians must go through Jesus to get to God (John 14:6). There is no other way to get to God, so clearly the Almighty God the Father is the one who is supreme over all, including Christ.

“Those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good” (1 Peter 4:19 NIV). Only God the Father is called by the title “Creator” in the Bible. Jesus never is.

“God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus” (1 Peter 5:10 NLT). This shows that Almighty God is in control, and uses Christ to bring people to himself.

We have seen that in each of 1 Peter’s five chapters, God Almighty the Father is shown to be in control, and Jesus is shown to be submissive to him, and under the Father’s control, and that Jesus has not been eternal, because he died for our sins. The holy Spirit is clearly shown not to be a person. Our examination of the book of 1 Peter has revealed that the Trinity doctrine is not only not in the letter, but 1 Peter actually contradicts the Trinity doctrine!