Is Jesus Christ equal to God? Based on the following scripture, and what they have heard, or been told, many people think so.
“For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God” (John 5:19 NRSV).
If we look at this scripture closely, and think about it logically, there are three serious problems with the claim that Jesus made himself equal with God, and so he must be God..read more
In our series about what is stated concerning Jesus in the various books of the New Testament, this article examines the book of 1 Corinthians. It is claimed by many preachers and denominations that Jesus is part of a Trinity, along with God the Father and the holy Spirit. If this is so, we surely should find evidence of it in a New Testament book such as 1 Corinthians, which covers Christian beliefs. The holy Spirit is real, of course, but it is it a person? Is the Trinity doctrine in 1 Corinthians?
It is claimed by many theologians that the Trinity doctrine is THE most important doctrine of Christianity. For example:
“No doctrine is more fundamental to the Faith than the Trinity”—Dr Norman L Geisler
“The Trinity is a doctrine where error is especially deadly”—Dr John MacArthur
We believe that John MacArthur is onto something when he says, “The Trinity is a doctrine where error is especially deadly”, although we disagree about exactly what that “error” is. Let’s examine 1 Corinthians, by looking for evidence for, or against, the Trinity.
1 Corinthians 1:1-3,4,6,9 – “An apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God . . . To the church of God in Corinth and to those sanctified in Christ Jesus . . . Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus . . . God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you . . . God is faithful who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord . . . ” (NIV). – In the opening few verses of 1 Corinthians, God and Jesus are presented as entirely separate and distinct individuals. No greetings from the holy Spirit or the Trinity are mentioned. Why is the holy Spirit not mentioned here? Could it be because it’s not a person? Of course, the holy Spirit is real, even though it is not mentioned here. Now, if God and Jesus were part of a Trinity, as so boldly asserted by theologians, this would be a logical place to mention the holy Spirit, and/or Trinity, in these opening greetings.
1 Corinthians 1:28,30 – “God chose the lowly … It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God.” – The scripture makes it plain that the Corinthian Christians are “in Christ Jesus” because of God’s choosing. We also learn that Jesus comes from God, but is not God himself. God does not come from Jesus. As Jesus himself said, “I came from God. I came from the Father” (John 16:27,28 NAB). Thus, the scriptures are quite clear that Jesus Christ is not God. If the holy Spirit was a person, and also if the Trinity really existed, it would seem like we should have seen some mention of them in this first, or introductory, chapter of 1 Corinthians. Why don’t we? We’ll find out why as we analyze the next chapter of the book.
1 Corinthians 2:10 – “These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.” (NIV). Trinitarians have claimed that the word “searches” indicates something that only a person can do, proves the holy Spirit is a person. However, the holy Spirit is personified here, as it sometimes is in other scriptures (1 John 4:6). In this very first mention of the holy Spirit in 1 Corinthians, it is called “the Spirit” (NAB), or “his spirit” (NIV). God reveals things through the Spirit, because he operates by using the holy Spirit to accomplish his purposes. The language in this verse (“the Spirit”; “his Spirit”) is indicative of the fact that the holy Spirit is not a person. Without the spirit being a person, there is no Trinity.
1 Corinthians 2:11 – “Among human beings, who knows what pertains a person except the spirit of the person that is within? Similarly, no one knows what pertains to God except the Spirit of God” (NAB). The Spirit of God is compared with the spirit of humans. The activity of this “spirit of God” is compared with the “spirit” of the self-consciousness of humans. The spirit of humans is to their own individual thoughts as the Spirit of God is to his own thoughts. Holy Spirit is therefore “holy intelligence,” a revelation of the actual mind of God, but not a person, as Trinitarians assert.
1 Corinthians 2:12 – “We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit of God” (NRSV; NAB). Many translations render it with Trinitarian bias, “the Spirit who is from God”. Just as “the spirit of the world” isn’t a person, “the Spirit of God” isn’t a person either. We take note that it is “THE Spirit of God”. This is not descriptive of a person. Notice the similarity: “He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit'” (John 20:22 NAB). “This action recalls Gn 2:7 where God breathed on the first man and gave him life; just as Adam’s life came from God, so now the disciples’ new spiritual life comes from Jesus” (NAB note). The point is that the holy Spirit isn’t a person.
1 Corinthians 2:13 – “Words taught by the Spirit”. Trinitarians have claimed this means the holy Spirit is a person, because it is said to ‘teach’. However, the holy Spirit is personified here, as it sometimes is in other scriptures. Notice that, once again, it is called “the Spirit. God reveals things through the Spirit, because he operates by using the holy Spirit to accomplish his purposes. The language in this verse (“the Spirit) is indicative of the fact that the holy Spirit is not a person. Without the spirit being a person, there is no Trinity.
1 Corinthians 2:16 –“Who has known the mind of the Lord?… But we have the mind of Christ.” – “The Lord” here is Almighty God the Father. There are distinctive differences between God and Jesus. The ability to know “the mind of Christ”, but not the mind of God, is an indication that God “the Father is greater than” Christ (John 14:28), thus eliminating the equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine.The holy spirit is not mentioned here, not because it is not real, but because it is not a person, but is God’s “power” (Acts 1:8). The Trinity is not mentioned because it is not real.
1 Corinthians 3:23 – “You are of Christ and Christ is of God.” – “Of God” means Christ comes from God the Father. However, God is not “of Christ”. Jesus said, “I came from God, I came from the Father” (John 16:27,28 NAB). He is “the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15 ESV; NASB; NAB; KJV), which means Jesus had a beginning to his life, so he has not been eternal. Without the Son being eternal, Jesus cannot be God, and the Trinity doctrine collapses..
1 Corinthians 4:1 – “As servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed.” – Two entirely separate, distinct individuals are mentioned, “Christ,” and “God.” Notice, however, that it is “God” who has revealed the “mysteries”, not “Christ”, which shows that God is greater than Christ. God here is “the Father”, who Jesus said, “is greater than” he is (John 14:28). Thus, the equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine is eliminated.
1 Corinthians 5:7 – “For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.” – ‘Christ was sacrificed’, not God. “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). However, Jesus “Christ died” and “was dead” (1 Corinthians 15:3; Revelation 1:18), so Jesus can’t be God. The fact that Jesus Christ hasn’t been eternal destroys the Trinity dogma.
1 Corinthians 6:11 – “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.” (NJB) – The holy Spirit, rather than being referred to as a person, is referred to as “the Spirit of our God”, meaning it emanates from God, but is not God. Without the holy Spirit being a person, the so-called third person of the Trinity, the entire Trinity doctrine collapses! The scriptures themselves are the worse enemy of “false doctrines” (1 Timothy 1:3 NIV), such as the Trinity.
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) – ‘There is only one God, the Father’, not a 3-in-1 monstrosity. An obvious distinction is made here between God, who is “the Creator of all things”, and ‘Jesus Christ, through whom God created everything’. Even though Jesus Christ 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. Jesus is obviously excluded from being God in this verse, and the holy Spirit isn’t even mentioned.
1 Corinthians 10:4 – “that rock was Christ”. Trinitarians have sometimes claimed that Jesus Christ being called “rock” because Almighty God is metaphorically called “the Rock” (Deuteronomy 6:4). “Rock” is used here as a figure of speech, similar to bread and water being used as figures of speech in John 4:14; John 6:30-35.. If the Trinity “Godhead” is true, then why are the Father and the holy Spirit not also included in this figurative “rock”? This is a clue that the Trinity is a ‘false doctrine’ (1 Timothy 1:3).
1 Corinthians 10:16 – “a participation in the blood of Christ… in the body of Christ” (NIV) – In discussing the significance of the Lord’s supper, the blood and body of Christ, not God, symbolize Christ’s sacrificial death. Since “Christ died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Christ cannot be God.
1 Corinthians 11:3 – “The head of Christ is God” – “God is shown to be someone other than “Christ” in this verse. “God” is also shown to be superior (“the head”) over Christ.” Trinitarians sometimes claim that Jesus, the Son of God, if he wasn’t already equal to the Father prior to his resurrection, was made equal to Almighty God the Father at his resurrection. But this verse proves that Jesus was still not equal to his Father at his resurrection, and thereafter. As Jesus himself said, “the Father is greater than I am” (John 14:28 GWT). With the lack of equality between the the Father and the Son, as exemplified by this verse, one of the main tenets of the ‘false doctrine’ (1 Timothy 1:3 NIV) of the Trinity is blown away.
1 Corinthians 11:29 – “Eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ” – In discussing the significance of the Lord’s supper, the blood and body of Christ, not God, symbolize Christ’s sacrificial death. Since “Christ died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Christ cannot be God.
1 Corinthians 12:6,11 – “There are differences of operations, and the same God who makes active all things in all persons . . . and one and the same Spirit makes all of these active, distributing to each appropriately, as it will” (1 Corinthians 12:6,11 Hart).“There are many different forms of activity, but in everybody it is the same God who is at work in them all. But at work in all these is one and the same Spirit, distributing them at will to each individual” (NJB). “But all these gifts are the activity of the one and same Spirit, distributing them to each individual at will” (1 Corinthians 12:11 REB). Most translations render verse 11, “just as He wills,” as if the holy Spirit is a person. Trinitarians use this as one of their “proofs” that the holy Spirit is a “person.” Note that in the accurately rendered Hart translation, the holy Spirit is referred to as “it”. Also, since “God has given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13 NAB), “God . . . has given us a share in his Spirit” (1 John 4:13 NJB), it is obvious the holy Spirit is not a person, since one cannot have “a share” of a person. God uses the “Spirit” to enforce and enact his will. Without the holy Spirit being a person, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 Corinthians 15:3,4 – “Christ died for our sins . . . He was buried, and he was raised on the third day” – God didn’t die, because, “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). Jesus was resurrected, because he “was dead” (Revelation 1:18). Since “Christ died”, he cannot be God, and he has not been eternal, which are two of the main pillars of the Trinity dogma. With the “eternal” feature of the Trinity doctrine scripturally eliminated, the Trinity dogma is vanished.
1 Corinthians 15:3,5– “Christ . . . appeared to Cephas; then to the twelve” (NAB) – This scripture confirms Jesus isn’t God. How did he “appear” to Peter? Christ was “put to death in the flesh, he was made alive in the spirit” (1 Peter 3:18 NAB). “The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34 NAB). This means that Jesus “appeared in another form” (Mark 16:12), such as a materialized body. Since Jesus Christ appeared to Peter after he was resurrected from the “dead” (Revelation 1:18), and God can’t die (Habakkuk 1:12), but Jesus did, Jesus cannot be God.
1 Corinthians 15:24,27,28 – “Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father” (NAB). “When it said =&0=&
“Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ” (1 John 4:1
The letter of 1 John was one of the last books of the New Testament to be written, near the end of the first century. 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 question, “Does 1 John teach the Trinity doctrine?”
1 John 1:2 – “This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us” (NLT). It is very obvious that this verse is describing Jesus Christ, and that “he was with the Father.” Notice how this compares with, “the Word was with God . . . He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1,2). Using the scriptures, we can discern that God is the Father, not Jesus Christ. Being “with” someone makes it clear that “two” separate and distinct individuals are being discussed (John 8:17,18). The statement, “We have seen him” is clear and unequivocal proof that Jesus cannot be God, because “no one has ever seen God” (1 John 4:12 NIV). The holy Spirit is not mentioned here, which it likely would be if the Trinity doctrine was true. Nothing is either stated, nor implied, about a Trinity, or that Jesus is Almighty God.
1 John 1:3 – “Our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (NIV). Two entirely separate and distinct individuals, the Father and his Son, are mentioned, but not the holy Spirit, or the Trinity. God the Father, and his Son, Jesus Christ are both real individual persons. Jesus Christ himself makes it clear that he and his Father are “two witnesses,” who are entirely separate and distinct individuals, as opposed to only “one witness” (John 8:17,18; Deuteronomy 17:6). The holy Spirit is not a person, so no fellowship is possible with it.
1 John 1:5 – “This is the message we heard from Jesus and now declare to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all” (NLT). Jesus has been an instrumental witness that God the Father is “light”. “You will have Yahweh for an everlasting light” (Isaiah 60:19 LSB). “Let us walk in the light of Yahweh” (Isaiah 2:5 LSB). “We heard from Jesus . . . God is light”, is clear testimony indicating that “two” entirely distinct and separate individuals are involved, namely Almighty God and his Son, Jesus Christ (John 8:17,18), but not the holy Spirit, because it is not a person.
1 John 1:7 – “The blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin” (NIV). His Son? Whose Son? “God the Father” (2 John 3). The Father-Son relationship is emphasized by implication. A father and a son are often similar, but are always two entirely different individuals, for example, being different in age. The same is true for God the Father, who is “eternal” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV), and his Son Jesus, who had an “origin” (Micah 5:2 NRSV). “The blood of Jesus” means that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), in contrast to “Yahweh . . . God, who never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). The scriptural truth that Christ has not been eternal and “died” eliminates a major component of the Trinity doctrine. All this is in stark contrast to the Trinity doctrine, which blurs the distinctions between God the Father and his Son Jesus.
1 John 2:1,2 – “We have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice for our sins” (NLT) – Jesus is with his Father, serving, in effect, as our lawyer, before “God the judge of all” (Hebrews 12:24), in this word picture. A lawyer and a judge are two separate and distinct individuals (John 8:17,18), with the judge being the higher power (John 14:28). “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), which is something that God cannot do (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV). Thus, the equality and the eternity claims of the Trinity dogma are eliminated.
1 John 2:20 – “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things” (NKJV). “This anointing is in the Old Testament sense of receiving the Spirit of God . . . True knowledge is the gift of the Spirit [cf Is 11:2], and the function of the Spirit is to lead Christians to the truth [John 14:17,26; 16:13]” (NAB note). “‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh'” (Acts 2:17 NAB). All of this weighs heavily against the Trinitarian idea that the holy Spirit is God, the third person of their Trinity. Trinitarians have claimed that since Jesus “searches hearts and minds” (Revelation 2:23 NIV), he must be God, because God knows everything. However, as we can see from the phrase, “you know all things”, such statements are not meant to be stretched to their ultimate, but understood in light of both the local and remote context of the entire Bible.
1 John 2:22-24– “Who is the liar except the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Everyone who denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also . . . you will also abide in the Son and in the Father” (LSB). The conjunction “and” means two entirely separate and distinctive individuals. A key issue mentioned here is “that Jesus is the Christ”, not the Trinitarian “Jesus is God”, or “Jesus is God the Son”. A parallel verse to these verses is,”Whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son” (2 John 1:9). The Father and the Son are two entirely separate individuals is stressed in 1 John 2:22-24, but especially with the use of the word “both” to describe them in 2 John 1:9. “Both” clearly means “two” (John 8:17,18). What about the holy Spirit? Why is it not mentioned here, if the Trinity doctrine is true? – Because the holy Spirit is not a person, and the Trinity is a false doctrine (1 Timothy 1:3)!
1 John 3:8,16 – “The Son of God appeared . . . . Jesus Christ laid down his life for us” (NIV). The scriptures do not say “God appeared”, or “God the Son”. Jesus is never called ‘God the Son’ in the Bible. Almighty God didn’t die, in fact, he cannot die. “My God, my Holy One, you will never die” (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV). “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3 NIV). So that means Jesus can’t be God.
1 John 3:20 – “God is greater than our hearts and knows all things” (NAB). Trinitarians have claimed that since Jesus “searches hearts and minds” (Revelation 2:23 NIV), he must be God, because God knows everything. Almighty God the Father is the only one who “knows all things.” Jesus, “Son though he was, he learned obedience from the things he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8 NAB). Jesus had to ‘learn obedience’, which shows he is not all-knowing, as God is. However, we can see from the definitive phrase, “God . . . knows all things”, God the Father is set apart from everyone else. Indeed, only he is said to have “perfect knowledge” (Job 36:4 NIV).
1 John 3:21-23 – “We have confidence before God and we receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ” (NIV). Here, “God” Almighty is clearly shown to be someone other than “Jesus Christ”, and as supreme (“we receive from him”), as the one who grants our requests. Jesus himself said, “the Father is greater than I am” (John 14:28). Jesus Christ is clearly presented as God’s distinctive Son (“his Son”), never as the unscriptural “God the Son,” or as God Almighty. Without the Son being God, and equal to the Father, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 John 3:24 – “All who obey his commands keep in union with him, and he does with them; and this is how we know that he keeps in union with us–by the Spirit which he has given us” (AAT). A key component of the Trinity doctrine is the supposed personhood of the holy Spirit. However, the terminology, “the Spirit” is very strong evidence that holy Spirit is not a person. Persons are not referred to as “the.” Notice also that it is referred to as “the Spirit which he has given us,” another clue that the holy Spirit is not a person. “‘It will come to pass in the last days,’ God says, that I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh'” (Acts 2:17 NAB). “A portion of my spirit” is not indicative of personhood.
1 John 4:1-3– “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (NKJV). God is shown to be in control, and he wants everyone to acknowledge Jesus as his Son, but not as part of a Trinity.The Trinity teaches that Jesus only had “impersonal human nature”, which Trinitarian technocrats call “anhypostasia”. This contradicts the scriptures which say: “Jesus Christ came as a human being” (1 John 4:2 GNB), “fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17 NIV). Anyone proclaiming the “God-man” of Trinitarianism does “not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh”.”They preach a different Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4 NLT). “Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to the gospel we have proclaimed to you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8 LSB). “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19). Since ‘Jesus came to earth as a human’, and “God is not human”, therefore, Jesus can’t be God. Also, a being who is both God and man could hardly be truly human, ‘tempted in all points just as we are’ (Hebrews 4:15 NIV). The doctrine that Jesus was God is incompatible with the scriptural teaching that he was really human. The “God-man,” “Dual-nature” concept of Trinitarianism is, in reality, “a different Jesus” (2 Corinthians 10:4 NLT), and “a different kind of good news” (Galatians 1:6 NLT). “The spirit of God” is not indicated to be a person. It is “the spirit of God”, not ‘God the Holy Spirit’, a Trinitarian concocted term, not found anywhere in the scriptures. “God is a spirit” (John 4:24 GWT).
1 John 4:6 – “We belong to God, and anyone who knows God listens to us, while anyone who does not belong to God refuses to hear us. This is how we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of deceit” (NAB). Trinitarians claim the holy Spirit is a person, the third person of their Triune God. One of the “proofs” they use is turning personifications in the scriptures of the holy Spirit into literalisms to assert the holy Spirit is a person, such as “the spirit of truth” in 1 John 4:6. However, not only is “the spirit of truth” personified in this verse, but so is “the spirit of deceit” personified. Therefore, we do well to ask, “If ‘the spirit of truth’ is a person, why isn’t ‘the spirit of deceit’ a person?” “The “spirit of deception” represents false teachings and the influence of the antichrist, as mentioned earlier in 1 John 4:3. This dichotomy is a recurring theme in Scripture, highlighting the ongoing spiritual battle between truth and error, as seen in Ephesians 6:12” (Bible Hub Study Bible). False doctrines, such as the Trinity, cannot hold up under ‘cross-examination’ (Proverbs 18:17).
1 John 4:9 –“By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (LSB; NASB). What do we learn from this verse?
1. “God” is someone other than “His only begotten Son”
2. The greater sends the lesser
3. Someone who is “begotten” had a beginning to their life
4. The Father is older than the Son
“God” is mentioned as being someone other than “his only begotten Son”. God is the sender, and Jesus is the sent one, in this Master-slave relationship. It is not a relationship of equals. The greater sends the lesser. Also, Jesus is said to be “His only begotten Son”, which means he was created. Someone “begotten” has a beginning to their life, and their parents are obviously older. Jesus’ life had an “=&0=&whereas “Yahweh” “God” has existed “from everlasting” (Psalm 90:2 LSB). These scriptural truths eliminate the eternity of the Son aspect of the Trinity doctrine. Without the Son being God, and without the equality and eternity components, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 John 4:10 – “Not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (NIV). “God” is shown to be someone other than “his Son”. The Master-servant relationship between God the Father and his Son (“God . . . sent his Son”), the fact that Jesus died (“atoning sacrifice”), are both emphasized again, which strongly implies that Jesus can’t be God. Without the Son being God, and without equality and eternity for the Son, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 John 4:12 – “No one has ever seen God” (NIV). Contrast this with John’s testimony in his letter that he and others saw Jesus, meaning the Son of God, Jesus Christ, cannot be Almighty God, as we can see from the following scriptures:
·1 John 1:3 – “Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (NIV).
1 John 4:13 – “This is the proof that we remain in him and he in us, that he has given us a share in his Spirit” (NJB). “He has given us of his Spirit” (NAB). The Trinity doctrine asserts the holy Spirit is the third person of the supposed Triune God. However, this scripture refers to giving “us a share in his spirit,” or “of his Spirit,” and is a very strong evidence that the holy Spirit is not a person. One cannot be given a share in a person. This is very similar to “God says, ‘that I will pour out a portion of my spirit'” (Acts 2:17 NAB), and “you . . . were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:13,14 NAB). The holy Spirit is also referred to as “it”and “itself” (John 1:32 ESV; 14:17 NAB; Acts 2:33; 8:15; 11:15 NAB; Romans 8:16.26,27 NAB; 1 Peter 1:11 NAB). Without the holy Spirit being a person, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 John 4:14 – “The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” (NIV). Obviously Jesus and God the Father are two separate and distinct individuals, with God, the sender, being “greater than” “the Son of God” Jesus Christ (John 14:28; 20:31), the Son. Without equality, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
1 John 4:15 – “Jesus is the Son of God” (NIV). Trinitarians claim that Jesus is “God the Son”, the second person of the Triune God. However, in the scriptures, Jesus is never referred to as ‘God the Son,’ as Trinitarians often call him. “God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4 NIV), which means “God” is someone other than “his Son”.
1 John 5:1 – “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who who loves the father loves [also] the one begotten by him” (NAB). Believers are begotten by God by being adopted as his spiritual children. Jesus was begotten by God the Father because he was created by him (“the firstborn of every creature” [Colossians 1:15 KJV]). “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God” (1 John 5:1 NLT). God has children, but no brothers (Romans 8:14; Galatians 3:26; Revelation 21:7). Jesus has brothers, but no children . Christians are God’s children, but are brothers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:40; Hebrews 2:11), which makes God superior to Christ. These are two very different relationships, clearly showing that Jesus cannot be Almighty God.
1 John 5:5 – “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (NIV). Trinitarians would have us believe the main issue is that “Jesus is God”, the second person of the Triune God. However, notice here in 1 John 5:5 that the real issue is believing that “Jesus is the Son of God,” not believing that Jesus is God, or “God the Son”, or part of a Trinity. In the scriptures, Jesus is never referred to as ‘God the Son,’ as Trinitarians often call him. “God sent his Son” (Galatians 4:4 NIV), which means “God” is someone other than “his Son”.
1 John 5:6-8—“This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth. So there are three that testify, the Spirit, the water, and the blood, and the three are of one accord” (NAB). The Trinity doctrine asserts that the Son of God, “Jesus Christ”, and the ‘holy Spirit’ are both equally and eternally God, along with the Father. Trinitarians are quite inconsistent in their equivocation of terms. In this text, they equivocate “the Spirit” to God. However, “the Spirit” is personified in this text, along with “water and blood”. “Water” stands for baptism, and “blood” stands for Christ’s sacrificial death. “The Spirit” is no more God than “the water and the blood” are God. God didn’t get baptized, and didn’t die either (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV), therefore Jesus could not be God. “The Spirit” is obviously not a person because persons are not referenced as “the,” or “that.”
=&1=&– “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one” (KJV). “Some late manuscripts of the Vulgate add: testify in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one. And there are three that testify on earth: the . (not found in any Greek manuscript before the fourteenth century).” —NIV footnote. So, this is how they got into Bible translations, such as the King James Version (KJV). There is thus zero evidence that these spurious words of 1 John 5:7,8 were originally part of the letter of 1 John. These spurious words weren’t added to any Geek manuscript of 1 John until about 1300 years after the apostle John wrote this Bible book.Trinitarians in the past often used these verses in 1 John to support the Trinity. However, these words are not found in any Greek manuscript before the fourteenth century, and so are considered spurious, and therefore not inspired by God’s holy Spirit. Modern translations usually exclude these words on this textual basis, or put them in either single or double brackets to indicate these words are highly questionable at best, or, they at least they note the manuscript facts in a footnote. These facts are nowadays so widely known that knowledgeable Trinitarians never use these verses in 1 John to support the Trinity anymore.
1 John 5:8 – “the spirit, the water and the blood, and these three agree together.” (NTFE). The Trinity doctrine asserts the holy Spirit is “the third person of the Trinity. However, if “the spirit” is a person, then “the water and the blood” are persons, because they also testify. The obvious fact that “water” and “blood” are not persons, is a clue that “the Spirit” is not a person either. We’ve examined the five verses in 1 John where the holy Spirit is mentioned, and each of them indicates the holy Spirit is not a person. Without the holy Spirit being a person, there is no Trinity. Therefore, the Trinity is not in 1 John. It is a “false doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3,4).
1 John 5:9,10 –“God has testified about his Son” (NLT). Obviously “God” and “his Son” are entirely separate and distinct individuals. “We accept human testimony, but God’s witness is greater, because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony … the testimony God has given about his Son.” (NIV). God’s testimony about “the Son of God”, Jesus Christ, is the strongest, most powerful testimony of all. These two verses make it abundantly clear that “God” is someone other than “his Son”. According to The Forgotten Trinity, Jesus and his Father are both “within the One Being that is God” (p 23). Contrast this with what Jesus said about himself: “If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony cannot be verified” (John 5:31 NIV). Why? Because, “One witness is not enough” (Deuteronomy 19:15 NIV). Jesus said that, “I am one witness who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me”, thus confirming “the testimony of two witnesses is true” (John 8:17,18 NIV). The scriptures expose the bogus claims of the Trinity doctrine, and prove the impossibility of Jesus being God.
In our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit, is there any evidence of the Trinity doctrine in the various books of the New Testament? This article examines whether the Trinity is in 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
Since Romans is said to “this foundational New Testament book,” we would expect to at least find some evidence of the Trinity doctrine, if it is true, in this important book of Romans.
Notice the relationship between the two – God and Jesus. How about the holy Spirit, how does it play a role?
Romans 1:1– “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News” (NLT). ” . . . and set apart for the gospel of God” (NAB). The gospel, the good news, belongs to God, the superior one, not to Jesus. This eliminates the equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine. Also, there is no mention of the holy Spirit or the Trinity in this verse. Why? Because, the holy Spirit, although it is real, is not a person.
Romans 1:2 – “God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures” (NLT). “God”, not Jesus, not the holy Spirit, nor the Trinity, is the one who is in control, or Almighty, and he promised the gospel..
Romans 1:3 – “the gospel about his Son” (NAB), “regarding his Son” (NIV). The gospel is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We see from the book of Romans that the focus is on God, who deals with humankind through his Son. In no way does Romans give any indication that the Son of God is God, or part of a Trinity, as Trinitarians like to claim.
Romans 1:4– “Established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (NAB). Jesus was “appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (NIV). If Jesus has been Almighty God from eternity, as Trinitarians claim, why would he need to be ‘appointed, or established, as the Son of God by his resurrection’? Since he was “appointed,” that means that God, who did the appointing, is the superior. Therefore, there is no equality, as the Trinity doctrine claims. Here, as in the rest of the Bible, Jesus is presented as “the Son of God,” not “God the Son” – entirely separate and distinct from the God the Father. Since “God has resurrected this Jesus” (Acts 2:32 HCSB), and Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18), it means that Jesus has not been eternal, as the Trinity doctrine claims.
Romans 1:7 – “from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV). It is admitted by Trinitarians that, “two divine persons are in view here . . . the Lord Jesus Christ . . . is shown to be another person besides the Father” (The Forgotten Trinity, p 157). As Jesus plainly said, he and his Father are “two witnesses” (John 8:17,18). But, why isn’t the letter also from the holy Spirit, the supposed third person of the Trinity, if the Trinity doctrine is true? Why is the holy Spirit AWOL from this scene?- Because the holy Spirit is not a person. “God” is shown in this verse to be the “Father,” and not “the Lord Jesus Christ,” who is an entirely separate individual.
Romans 1:8– “I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ” (NAB) – Notice that he thanks God, not Jesus, or the Trinity. But he does so “through Jesus.” This is the proper way to pray, not to Jesus or the Trinity, but through Jesus (John 14:6; Matthew 6:9). “My God” is clearly shown not to be Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:9 – “God, whom I serve in preaching the gospel of his Son” (NIV) – Paul says he is serving God, not Jesus, or the Trinity, in the preaching of God’s Son. “God” is clearly shown to be someone other than “his Son.”
Romans 2:16 – “God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ” (NIV) – “God” is presented as someone other than Jesus, and is the ultimate “judge of all” (Hebrews 12:23), doing so “through Jesus Christ.” “God” is obviously superior to Jesus Christ (John 14:28), which fact negates the “eternal” clause of the Trinity doctrine.
Romans 3:22 – “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (NAB) – God’s righteousness flows through Jesus Christ to believing humans. This shows that God the Father is supreme over his Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:28).
Romans 3:24-26– “They are justified by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation through . . . through the forbearance of God–to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus” (NAB) – These verses indicate that the channel to and from God is Jesus, but God is not Jesus. God presented Christ, who died, as a sacrifice of atonement. This shows that God, not Jesus, is the one who is in complete control. God uses Jesus mightily, but Jesus is obviously not equal to God. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood” (Romans 3:25 NIV). “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement” means that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), whereas “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 3:30 – “God is one”. The Greek word for “one” is “heis”, which is the numeral one. “God is only one” (Galatians 3:20 NASB). “Yahweh our God is one Yahweh” (Deuteronomy 6:4 LSB). This truth eliminates any possibility that God can be more than one person, such as the 3-in-1, God in three persons, Trinity!
Romans 5:1 – “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” – A Christian’s peace comes from God, the supreme being, through Jesus Christ (1 John 4:8; John 14:6).
Romans 5:5 – “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (NAB). ” . . . through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (NRSV). God operates through the holy Spirit. These translations accurately render the Greek text. Even though many translations use the pronoun “who,” or “whom” here in referencing the holy Spirit, it is clear from the Greek that “that,” or “which,” is the thought intended. This verse makes it clear that the holy Spirit is not a person.
Romans 5:8,10 – “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us . . . We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son” (NAB) – Jesus, not God, died for us. “The death of his Son” means that “Christ” actually “died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), so he cannot be God because, “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (NIV). This verse once again shows that God operates through Jesus, which gives evidence that God, not Jesus, is the superior one.
Romans 5:11 – “We boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NAB) – We always have to go through Jesus to get to God, in fact we can only know God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Romans 5:15 – “Even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift to many through this other man, Jesus Christ” (NLT) – The supreme being, God, channels his blessings through Jesus Christ. Jesus is called a “man,” which proves he can’t be God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Romans 5:17 – “Even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness . . . through this one man, =&0=& – God’s gifts and provisions flow through Jesus, which shows that God is superior over Jesus. Jesus is again called a man, proving he’s not God.
Romans 6:4,9– “Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father . . . Christ was raised from the dead, he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him” (NLT) – In these verses, it is shown that the God who resurrected Jesus is “the Father” (Acts 2:32), brought him back to life, which proves that Jesus can’t be God because he “died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “God . . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12). This means that God is superior over Jesus (John 14:28).
Romans 6:10: 8:3– “The life he lives, he lives to God” (NIV). “God has done this by sending his own Son” (NAB) – Jesus is said to be ‘living to God,’ that is, not literally, but, in godly submission, which, once again, indicates that God the Father is superior over Jesus. The lesser submits to the greater. The sender is greater than the one sent, as Jesus said: “No slave is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16 NAB).
Romans 6:11,23– “Consider yourselves . . . alive to God through Christ Jesus . . . The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT) – God the Father deals with humans, not directly, but “through” his Christ, his Son Jesus (John 14:6). “Christ Jesus” is the “one mediator between God and the human race” (1 Timothy 2:5 NAB). God has always dealt with his people through covenants, and he deals with Christians through the New Covenant, which is mediated by Christ (Hebrews 9:14,15). This is why all of God’s dealings with humans are “through Christ Jesus”, rather than directly. All of which means that Jesus is not God.
Romans 7:4 –=&1=&Christ was resurrected from the dead by God (Acts 2:32), so he can’t be God, because “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 7:25; 8:32 – “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (LSB). “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all” (NIV). God operates and sends his blessings through Jesus, and he gave Jesus for the salvation of all, therefore, God is “greater than” Jesus (John 14:28).
Romans 8:11– “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (NRSV). The fact that God resurrected Jesus Christ from the “dead” (Revelation 1:18) is twice stated in this verse. Since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Jesus Christ cannot be Almighty God. The holy Spirit is referred to as “the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead,” and “his Spirit that dwells in you,” so it is God’s spirit, and not a person. Without the holy Spirit being a person, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
