The New Testament book of 2 Corinthians was written about 25 years after Jesus’ death and the start of Christianity. Is the Trinity doctrine in 2 Corinthians?
“The Trinity is one of the most important teachings of the Christian faith. It defines God’s very essence and describes how he relates to us”—The Forgotten Trinity, back cover
Since Second Corinthians was written about twenty-fives after the start of Christianity, we would expect to see at least some evidence of such an important doctrine as the Trinity in the letter’s 13 chapters, if it is a true Christian doctrine. Let’s examine scriptures from this book which tell us something about God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit.read more
What are the scriptures that the gospel Mark is teaching about God? Is the Trinity in Mark? — Is Jesus Christ God Almighty, and also God the Son, or is he the Son of God, the Messiah, and the Son of Man? Is the holy Spirit portrayed as a person in Mark?
Mark 1:1 – “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (ESV).
Mark opens his gospel by briefly mentioning basically the theme of his gospel, and what it will prove — ‘that Jesus Christ is the Son of God’.
“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 call Jesus ‘God,’ or ‘God the Son.’
Mark 1:9-11 – “Jesus came fromNazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water he saw the heavens torn open and the Spirit, like a dove descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, ‘You are my beloved Son, with you I am well pleased'” (NAB). In this scene, Jesus is in the water, and is obviously not the holy Spirit that came down upon him, or God, who is in heaven. The holy Spirit, rather than being portrayed as a person, or intelligent entity, is coming down in the air “like a dove”. Trinitarians assert that these scriptures support the Trinity in Mark. How? Trinitarians count, one, two, three . . . there’s the Trinity! The mention of the three together doesn’t make them a Trinity in Mark, any more the mention of “Stephanus, Fortuna=&0=&together make them a Trinity. As we can see, not one aspect of the Trinity doctrine is supported in these verses. There is no equality, no existing from eternity, nothing about being Almighty, nothing about all three being God, etc.
Mark 1:13 – “He remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan” (NAB). – Since “God cannot be tempted by evil” (James 1:13 NRSV), so Jesus cannot be God, because he was tempted.
Mark 1:24 – “Jesus of Nazareth . . . I know who you are–the Holy One of God!” (NAB) – “The Holy One OF God” is obviously not God.
Mark 2:5-7 – “When Jesus saw their faith, he saw to the paralytic, ‘Child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there asking themselves, ‘ Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming. Who but God alone can forgive sins?” (NAB). Does this assertion by Jesus’ enemies that, ‘only God can forgive sins’, mean that Jesus is God? Notice next what term Jesus uses to describe himself:
Mark 2:10 – “The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins on earth” (NAB). – “The Son of Man” cannot be God, since “God is not a human being” (Numbers 23:19 NAB). “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14). When Jesus was born on earth, he was “fully human in every way” (Hebrews 2:17 NIV), so he could not be God. The ‘authority to forgive sins’ had been bestowed on Jesus as God’s “representative” (John 5:43 Williams New Testament), obviously. God doesn’t need anyone’s authority. In fact, Matthew 9:8says, “The crowd . . . praised God for sending a man with such great authority” (NLT 2013 edition). Jesus said, “God sent me” (John 8:42 NIV), so he could not be God.
Mark 2:28 – Jesus once again refers to himself as “the Son of Man”. “The Son of Man” cannot be God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Mark 3:11 – “You are the Son of God”, not “God”, not “God the Son,” a Trinitarian concoction never used in the Bible.
Mark 5:7 – “Jesus, Son of the Most High God”. Once again, Jesus is called ‘God’s Son’, but not “God the Son,” a Trinitarian concoction never used in the Bible.
Mark 6:4 – “A prophet is not without honor except in his his native place and among his own kin and in his own house” (NAB)– Jesus calls himself “a prophet” – one who represents God. A prophet is not God himself.
Mark – 8:29 – “‘Who do you say that I am?’Peter said to him in reply, ‘You are the Messiah'” (NAB), – not “God”, not “God the Son”, a Trinitarian concoction never used in the Bible.
Mark 8:31 – “the Son of Man must suffer”. Mark 8:38 – “the Son of Man… when he comes in his Father’s glory”. The Son of Man is not God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Mark 9:7 – “a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son.'” – In this transfiguration scene, “God [is] in heaven” (Luke 15:18,21), Jesus is on earth, and God calls him his “Son”. Obviously, they are two entirely separate and distinct, different people.
Mark 9:9 – “until the Son of Man had risen from the dead” – The Son of Man is not God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19), plus “God . . . will never die” (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV), and “this Jesus God resurrected” from the dead (Acts 2:32 HCSB; Revelation 1:18).
Mark 9:12 “the Son of Man must suffer much”. God is not the Son of Man, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19), and stayed in heaven (Matthew 6:9), not suffering on earth.
Mark 9:31 – “the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men … and they will kill him” – The Son of Man can’t be God, because “God . . . will never die” (Habakkuk 1:12 NIV)..
Mark 9:41 – “you belong to the Messiah“. The Messiah is obviously not God.
Mark 10:18 – “Jesus answered, ‘No one is good – except God alone.'” Obviously, Jesus was saying that he’s not only not God, but is inferior to God. Thus, the scriptures disprove the “equality” aspect of the Trinity doctrine.
Mark 10:33– “the Son of Man will be delivered over”. The son of Man is not God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Mark 10:40 – “but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant.” – If Jesus says he doesn’t even have that much authority, then who does? – It must be his Father. Jesus admitted, “I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment what to say and what to speak” (John 12:49 ESV). “He has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:27 NIV). Jesus is totally dependent upon his Father for his authority.
Mark 10:45 – “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.” God doesn’t serve anyone, but Jesus does!
Mark 10:47 – “When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout ‘Jesus, Son of David.'” – Notice, Jesus was not called “God”, but “the Son of David”, an expression that cannot apply to God. This is another proof that Jesus cannot be God.
Mark 10:51– “The blind man said, ‘Rabbi,'” – He called Jesus “Rabbi”, meaning teacher, not God.
Mark 11:9 –“God bless the One who comes in the name of the Lord.” This is a fulfillment of Psalm 118:26, “Blessed in the name of Yahweh is he who is coming!”, which is referring to Jesus coming in the name of Yahweh.
Mark 11:21– “Peter said to Him, “Rabbi . . . ‘” (NASB) – Rabbi means teacher, which was one of Jesus’ titles, but he did not call him God.
Mark 11:22 – “Jesus said to them in reply, ‘Have faith in God'” (NAB), referring to his Father.
Mark 11:25– “So that your Father in heaven may forgive you”=&1=&The Father in heaven is the one who grants forgiveness, not Jesus.
Mark 11:28– “Who gave you this authority?” – Someone gave Jesus his authority. Who?
Mark 11:33 – “Jesus said, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things'” (NIV). Where does Jesus’ authority come from? Jesus said, “I have not spoken on my own authority” (John 12:49 ESV). “The Father . . . has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man” (John 5:27 NIV). Jesus’ authority comes from God the Father, which proves he is not only not God, he’s not even equal to God.
Mark 12:6 – “They will respect my son.” – Jesus, the Son, inferior to his Father.
Mark 12:12– “knew that the story was about them” – killing the Son, Jesus. Since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Jesus cannot be God.
Mark 12:14– “You teach the truth about God’s way.” – Not Jesus’ way, or the Trinity way, but “God’s way”.
Mark 12:29 – “Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD” (NASB) – “One” is the Greek word “heis”, meaning the numerical one, not a compound unity, as Trinitarians would have us believe. Not two or three, not divided, not Trinity. The main teaching of Jesus, he said, was that ‘God is one person only’, “God is only one [Greek: “heis”] (Galatians 3:20 NASB), which flatly contradicts the Trinity doctrine of a 3-in-one God.
Mark 12:30 –“Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD“(NASB)– The greatest commandment is to love God, not Jesus or Trinity.
Mark 12:32,33 – “He is one and there is no other but he. And to love him with all your heart . . . ” (NAB). God is referred to as being only “one” and by the singular personal pronouns “he” and “him”. Jesus confirmed that the scribes’ description of God was correct (Mark 12:34).
Mark 12:33 – “sacrifices we offer to God”, not Jesus, or Trinity.
Mark 12:35 – “the Christ is the Son of David” – God is not the son of David, nor is he anyone’s “son”.
Mark13:26 – “the Son of Man is coming” – God is not the Son of Man
Mark 13:32– “No one knows… not even the Son. Only the Father knows.” – Since God knows things the Son doesn’t, obviously, God is superior to Jesus, they are two different and distinct individuals.
Mark 14:21– “For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago” (NLT). “The Son of Man” is Jesus, not God. Jesus died, but “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), so Jesus cannot be God
Mark 14:24 – “My blood which is the new covenant that God makes with his people” – God makes the new covenant and seals it with Jesus’ blood. Jesus’ blood was shed in his sacrificial death. Since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Jesus cannot be God.
Mark 14: 36 – “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.” – Obviously speaking as a subordinate to his Father. Jesus was not praying to himself, nor was he praying to a Trinity.
Mark 14:41 – “Son of Man”, who, by definition, cannot be God.
Mark 14:61 – “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God?” – Jesus is referred to as the Son of God, not God the Son
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).
John 1:1 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (NAB). “Was God: lack of a definite article with ‘God’ in Greek signifies predication rather than identification” (NAB note on John 1:1). That means that “was God” is a predicate description about Jesus, but does not identify him as Almighty God. Other translations render it as:—“what God was, the Word was” – REB ; “The Word was divine” – AAT; Moffat. Jesus admitted, “I have come here from God” (John 8:42 NIV), so he couldn’t be Almighty God.
John 1:14 – Jesus “became flesh,” so Trinitarians call him “God-man.” But consider, thousands of people saw Jesus, and, “God is not human” (Numbers 23:19 NIV). In fact, Jesus said: “God is spirit” (John 4:24).
John 1:18 – “No one has seen God at any time” ( NASB).Obviously, Jesus wasn’t, and couldn’t be, God Almighty, since, “No one has ever seen God” (1 John 4:12 NIV).
Romans 9:5 – “the Messiah, who is God over all” (NIV). However, “Paul’s point is that God when is over all aimed to use Israel, which had been entrusted with every privilege, in outreach to the entire world through the Messiah” (NAB note).Notice how this verse can be accurately translated: “theirs the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, the Messiah. God who is over allbe blessed forever” (NAB). “from them by natural descent came the Messiah. May God, supreme over all be blessed.” – REB – This verse is also incorrectly translated in some other translations to make it appear that Jesus, the Messiah, is God. The way many translations render this verse, “the Messiah, who is God over all,” contradicts the Trinity doctrine itself. “In this Trinity . . . None is greater, or less, than another. But the whole three Persons are . . . coequal” (Athanasian Creed). The accurate rendering of Romans 9:5, “the Messiah. God who is over all,” harmonizes with other scriptures, such as: “One God and Father of all, who is over all” (Ephesians 4:6).
Colossians 2:9 – “In him, in bodily form, lives divinity (not God) in all its fullness” – NJB; see also CSB; NAB. “And in Christ you have been brought to =&0=&If having God’s fullness made one God, then Christians would be God also, because they “have been brought to fullness.”.
Colossians 1:19 – “because God wanted all fullness to be found in him” (NJB; others). It was God’s decision and action that caused his “fullness” to be in Jesus.
Colossians 3:1 – “Christ is seated at the right hand of God” (NAB). Obviously, Christ is not God, but is at “his right hand”.
2 Peter 1:1 – ” . . . the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (KJV). “Symeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of equal value to ours through the righteousness of our God and the savior Jesus Christ” (NAB margin).” . . . through the righteousness of our God and the Savior Jesus Christ” (NRSV margin). ” . . . given through the saving justice of our God and of the Savior Jesus Christ” (NJB margin). (This verse is translated differently in many translations, making it appear that Jesus Christ is Almighty God). ” . . . of our God, and the savior, Jesus Christ” (Concordant Literal Translation). ” . . . of our God, and savior Jesus Christ” (Phillips). ” . . . of our God, and savior Jesus Christ” (Weymouth). That two different individuals are referred to is made clear by these accurate translations, as well as the very next verse:
2 Peter 1:2 – “the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” – God and Jesus are different individuals, separate and distinct.
Matthew 1:23 – “they will call Immanuel, a name which means ‘God-is-with-us.'” – NJB. Twice in context, we’re told his name is Jesus (1:21,25; 2:1) – Does not mean Jesus is God. See the list of Hebrew names that incorporate God’s name (i.e. Jehu means “Yahweh is He” (2 Kings 9:2)), in the article on this website entitled, “Is Jesus Christ Almighty God?—Matthew”.
Luke 1:31,32,35 – “You shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High . . . the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (NAB) – This is who the angel said he was, not God. “Son of the Most High” means that Jesus is not “the Most High,” but is his “Son.” “The Son of God” is certainly not God Almighty. In the Bible, Jesus is never called “God the Son,” an unscriptural term that Trinitarians like to use.
Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (NIV). “Radiance” and “representation” are terms that indicate that Jesus is not God, but that he is like God. “He is the reflection of God’s glory.” NJB – Obviously, he couldn’t be God. An image in a mirror is not the same as the original, not even equal to it..
Hebrews 1:8 – “But of the Son he says, ‘God is your throne forever and ever'” (NRSV margin). “God is your throne.” – AAT; Moffat. (translation issue, with many translations rendering the verse: “Your throne, O God,” making it appear that Jesus is God). This verse quotes Psalm 45:6, which can be accurately rendered, “Your throne is from God” (NJB).
Matthew 8:29; Luke 4:34,41 – Demons acknowledged Jesus was “the Son of God” or “the Holy One of God”, but never said that Jesus was God Himself.
Mark 14:61-64 – Saying he is “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One…the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One,” obviously means he is a different person than his Father, since the Son is different from the Father, and sitting at the right hand of God sets him apart from God also.
Daniel 7:13,14 NASB- Referencing Jesus as the “Son of Man” who “approached the Ancient of Days” and “was given authority…so that all people would obey him” also means he is not the Ancient of Days, not “God”, who is “from eternity” (Psalm 90:2 NJB), not “Yahweh”, who “never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), but he is the Son.
John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was born, I am,” is not even good English, it’s in the wrong tense of the verb, because it is wrongly translated. Nevertheless, Trinitarians often use this verse to “prove” Jesus is God by connecting this “I am” to the “I Am” of Exodus 3:14. A better translation of John 8:58is: “before Abraham was even born, I have always been alive” (NLT margin). This shows that the issue was Jesus’ age, not his identity. It should more accurately rendered: “I existed before Abraham was born” – AAT; Moffat.; CBW.
John 17:5 – “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.” – NIV ftn. – Obviously an inferior [Jesus] speaking to a superior [God].
Revelation 1:17-18 – “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead.” This Jesus could not be God since Habakkuk 1:12 says God “will never die.”
John 10:11 – “I am the good shepherd,” does not make Jesus God, since the context says:
John 10:18 – “This command I received from my Father.”
John 10:36 – “I am the Son of God”. Jesus was accused of ‘making himself God’ (John 10:33), and his refutation of that here in verse 36 is clear proof that Jesus did not claim to be God.
Obviously there are two people here in these scriptures. Jesus was with the Father (John 1:2), who is superior, prior to coming to earth, and who cannot die (Habakkuk 1:12), whereas Jesus died (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “was dead” (Revelation 1:18) for a time. So there is a distinct difference between them.
Matthew 25:31-33 – Yes, the Son of Man, not the Ancient of Days, will do the judging. Why?
John 5:27 – Because the Father has given the Son of Man, Jesus, authority to do the judging.
“The Gospel according to Matthew . . . no otherwas so frequently quoted in the noncanonical literature of earliest Christianity”—Preface to Matthew in the New American Bible (NAB). Since Matthew was so prominently in the ancient world, we should surely find some evidence of the Trinity doctrine somewhere in the book if it’s there.
“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. This reference by prominent a modern-day indicates that the Trinity doctrine is the thing that God has revealed most prominently. If so, we should surely find it in Matthew.read more
Is the Trinity in Matthew?