Trinitarians say that places in the Bible in which God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, are mentioned together prove the doctrine of the Trinity 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 23read more
The Bible’s final book, Revelation, predicts the future for the Church and humankind. The Trinity doctrine is said to be the main doctrine of Christianity, so we would expect to find the Trinity in Revelation, if the doctrine is true. The very first verse of the Book of Revelation gives us a clue as to the answer to the question of whether the Trinity doctrine is in Revelation:
“The revelation from Jesus Christ, WHICH GOD GAVE HIM to show his servants what must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1 NIV). [Emphasis ours]. Trinitarians claim that the Son of God, Jesus Christ, is “fully God”. How can that be, since, first of all, in this verse, we see that “God” is someone other than “Jesus Christ”. Next we notice that “God gave him” “the revelation”. If Jesus was Almighty God, as Trinitarians claim, he would not have to be “given” anything, much less the Revelation by God–he would already have it–and know it! The Trinity doctrine not only is not in the scriptures, it contradicts the scriptures, and it makes no sense! “God is not the author of confusion” (1 Corinthians 14:33 KJV).read more
Is the Trinity Doctrine Taught in 1 Peter, or Contradicted?
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). “God the Father”, “the Spirit”, and “Jesus Christ” are each mentioned, and they do all three exist. But Trinitarians simply count 1, 2, 3, and say, “Aha! There’s the Trinity!”, thus imaging the doctrine right into the text. However, the mere mention of three does not tell us anything about their supposed “equality”, “Godship”, “Almightiness”, “eternity”, nor of the supposed”personhood” of the Spirit, nor of their supposed “oneness” of “substance”, “being”, or “essence”. In fact, only one of the three is identified as God (the Father), which is something else that Trinitarians blindly overlook. Nothing! 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, as also proven with other scriptures (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 15:24-28; 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 Christ 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 1:3NIV)read more
We’re going to take a look at the relationship between God and Jesus in this short article about the Bible book of 2 John. Is there any indication that Jesus is God, or is equal to God? What about the holy Spirit? Is it mentioned in this letter? Are God and Jesus the same person, or are they two separate and distinct individuals? Is the Trinity in the letter of 2 John? Let’s find out.
“Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son.” (2 John 1:3) Notice the conjunction “and” separates “God the Father” and “the Father’s Son”. Obviously, they are separate and distinct, with Jesus identified, not as “God the Son,” an expression that occurs nowhere in the Bible, but as “the Father’s Son.” We also notice that greetings do not come from the holy Spirit, which is very unusual if it is a person. Many other Scriptures indicate that “the Spirit of God” (Matthew 12:28) is a real force (Luke 1:17; Acts 1:8), but not a person (Luke 12:12: Matthew 10:20).
“For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist” (2 John 1:7 LSB; NASB). Only Jesus came in the flesh, not God the Father. Trinitarians claim that Jesus came as a “God-man”. However, “God is a =&0=&and is
In the book of Acts, did the Apostles teach or preach the Trinity doctrine?
This article is part of our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus and the holy Spirit, and whether they comprise a Trinity, in the various books of the Bible. This article examines whether the Trinity was taught or preached the book of Acts of the Apostles.
Jesus had foretold that, “the Helper, the Holy Spirit which the Father will send in my place, will teach you everything and remind you of =&0=&“The Helper, the Holy Spirit” would “guide [them] into all the truth” (John 16:13 NIV). Acts records for us how this was done, by documenting the spread of Christianity during its first three decades, including its beginning, when the holy Spirit was “poured out” (Acts 2:33). If the Trinity is true, then the doctrine should be evident in the book of Acts, because it records what the early Christians taught and how Christianity was established throughout the Roman Empire.
Acts 1:3 – “During the forty days after he suffered and =&1=&The resurrection of Christ is the foundation of the Gospel, and it’s the affirmation of Jesus’ Sonship and Messiahship. This is what the early Church preached, as recorded in the Book of Acts and the New Testament letters. However, today many theologians and preachers are “preaching” “a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6-9 NIV), asserting that the essence of the Gospel is that “God became a man and died for our sins. In contrast, for the early church it was,“God has resurrected this Jesus.” (Acts 2:32 HCSB)
Acts 1:4 – “Wait for the gift my Father promised” (NIV). – The Father alone is the one who is in control. “The “gift” refers to the Holy Spirit, as promised in the Old Testament (e.g., Joel 2:28-29) and reiterated by Jesus in John 14:16-17” (Bible Hub Study Bible). Calling the holy Spirit a “gift” gives us a clue that the holy Spirit is not a person. According to Jesus, “the holy Spirit” (Luke 12:12 NAB), is “the Spirit of your Father” (Matthew 10:20).
Acts 1:7 – “It is not for you to know times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority” (NIV). – Jesus said his Father is in control, who operates entirely “by his own authority,” without the involvement of a Trinity ‘godhead’, or even Jesus. Jesus, on the other hand, said, “I don’t speak on my own authority” (John 12:49 NLT). “Jesus . . . cried out, ‘ . . . I am not here on my own authority, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him'” (John 7:28 NIV). Jesus said that he wasn’t even here on earth on his own authority, but was sent by his Father, whose authority he is under, because, as Jesus said, “the Father is greater” (John 14:28). This unequal authority between Jesus and his Father eliminates the equality aspect of the Trinity dogma. The equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine is thus obliterated by such Biblical truths.
Acts 1:8 – “You will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you” (NAB). This action had been foretold in the prophets. God said, “I will put my spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:27 NRSV). The holy Spirit is God’s “spirit”, not another person. The language “comes upon you” is not appropriate when referring to a person, so this gives evidence the holy Spirit is not a person. Jesus connected “the holy Spirit” with “power’, which is essentially what the holy Spirit is. Without the holy Spirit being a person, the Trinity doctrine falls apart.
Acts 2:17 – “I will pour out a portion of my spirit upon all flesh” (NAB). Yahweh speaks, and refers to the holy Spirit as being “my spirit”, provides very strong evidence that the holy Spirit is not a person. The apostle Peter quoted the prophecy,”Thus you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Yahweh your God, and there is no other . . . And it will be afterwards That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind” (Joel 2:27,28 LSB). These scriptures show that ‘Yahweh is God and no other’, that is, he is incomparable, unique. The holy Spirit, which is also featured in this prophecy, is obviously not Yahweh, as Trinitarianism claims.Even more so, the language, “a portion of my spirit” gives additional evidence the holy Spirit cannot be a person, because a portion of a person cannot be ‘poured out.’ Without the holy Spirit being a person, the doctrine of the Trinity falls apart.
Acts 2:22 – “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through him.” (NIV) – Jesus was used by God, who is the superior one. Notice that “God” is not “Jesus,” who is “accredited by God to you”, and that “God did” the miracles “through” Jesus. Jesus is called “a man”. “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Acts 2:22,23 –“Jesus . . . –delivered up through God’s settled purpose and foreknowledge”(Weymouth New Testament) – Yahweh God the Father, as the one who is “supreme over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18 NLT), decided long in advance what Jesus would do. No one else but God, not even Jesus, is ever said to have a “settled purpose and foreknowledge”. Also, Jesus is called a “man” (Acts 2:23 NIV; LSB), so he couldn’t be God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19). Also, “God” is shown to be someone other than Jesus.
Acts 2:24 – “God raised him from the dead.” – “God” is again clearly shown to be someone other than Jesus. Jesus “died” (1 Corinthians 15:3); God didn’t. Why? “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), whereas Jesus was “dead” (Revelation 1:18). Trinitarians claim that “only the human part of Jesus died”. However, if any part of Jesus had remained alive, “Christ” could not have “died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3).
Acts 2:30 – “Since he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn an oath to him to seat one of his descendants upon his throne.” (NAB) – God controlled everything, and he seated Jesus on “the throne of his father, David” (Luke 1:32), as foretold in fulfillment of Psalm 132:11. God is clearly shown to be someone other than Jesus.
Acts 2:31 – “he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption” (New King James Version). – Resurrection means coming back to life from the dead. Jesus was resurrected by God, the superior one, who did not die (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). Notice that “his soul was not left in Hades”. “Hades” (Hebrew is “Sheol” [Psalm 16:10]) is the figurative place of “the dead” (Ecclesiastes 9:5,10). Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18). If any part of “Christ” had remained alive, he could not have “died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). God is not “the Christ”, Jesus is. For these reasons, Jesus cannot be God.
Acts 2:32 – “God has resurrected this Jesus.” (HCSB) – “God” is obviously someone other than Jesus, because he brought the deceased Jesus back to life. Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18). “God “is always alive, and “never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). Jesus is clearly shown not to be eternal, since he “died” (1 Corinthians 15:3). Without the eternity factor, the Trinity doctrine collapses.Trinitarians sometimes assert that “God” = Trinity (3). Since Jesus was dead, that would only leave the other two members of the Trinity dogma alive, so God cannot = 3. When we analyze the Trinity doctrine in the light of the scriptures, we find that it is simply pure “nonsense” (Isaiah 32:6).
Acts 2:33 – “Exalted to the right hand of God, he received the promise of the holy Spirit from the Father and poured it forth, as you both see and hear” (NAB). This scripture is a death knell to the Trinity doctrine. Since “God” has Jesus at his right hand, and he channels the holy Spirit through Jesus to believing Christians. “God” is identified as “the Father”. Jesus is shown to be someone other than God, and also subservient to God, his Father, by being at “the right hand of God”. Additionally, the holy Spirit is called “it,” which proves it is not a person. These facts eliminate “the Son is God”, the equality, and the personhood of the holy Spirit, aspects of the Trinity doctrine, so the Trinity doctrine collapses.
Acts 2:34 – “The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand'” (NIV) – Quoting from Psalm 110:1, “Yahweh declared to my Lord, ‘Take your seat at my right hand'” (NJB). Jesus is shown to be at God’s right hand of favor, so he couldn’t be God. God is the speaker, and the one who is in control, not Jesus. “Yahweh” is clearly shown to be someone other than Jesus.
Acts 2:36 – “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus” (ESV). – God the Father decided and granted Jesus Lordship and Messiahship. Jesus had neither of these “highly exalted” positions “from eternity” (Philippians 2:9 ESV), as Trinitarians like to claim. Trinitarians like to claim that title “Lord” makes Jesus God. But the scriptures tell us differently. “Christ” is obviously not God, because God made him both “Lord and Christ”.
Acts 3:13 – “The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob . . . has glorified his servant Jesus.” (NIV) – God gave glory to His servant, Jesus. Jesus cannot be Almighty God because he is GOD’S “SERVANT.” God’s “servant” cannot be Almighty God, nor is the servant equal to the master! What is interesting about this is that in Exodus 3:15, “Yahweh, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:15 LSB), “Yahweh” identifies himself as “God Almighty” (Exodus 6:2,3 LSB). Since Almighty God has “his servant Jesus”, Jesus cannot be Almighty God. As Jesus said, “The Father is greater than I am” (John 14:28 GWT; ISV; NET). Thus, there is no equality between Jesus and his Father, so Jesus cannot be Almighty God, as Trinitarians claim. Without equality, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
As part of our series about what is stated in the Bible concerning whether God, Jesus and the holy Spirit are a Trinity in the various books of the New Testament, this article examines the book of Galatians.
Galatians was possibly the earliest book of the New Testament that was written, and focuses on correct Christian doctrine. Was the Trinity part of Christian doctrine discussed in Galatians? Is any aspect of the Trinity doctrine mentioned in the book?
Galatians 1:1 – “Through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead” (NAB). – God is shown to be the Father. Jesus is not referred to as God. God and Jesus are revealed to be two separate and distinct individuals – the superior, God, resurrects the lesser one, Jesus, from the dead. “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18). Therefore, Jesus cannot be Almighty God.
Galatians 1:3– “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (NAB). – Two separate and distinct individuals, namely “God our Father” and “Jesus Christ,” are mentioned, but there is no mention of the holy Spirit. Why not? There is no question the holy Spirit is real. Trinitarians claim it is a person. If the holy Spirit is the third part of a Trinity “Godhead,” as Trinitarians assert, it should have been mentioned here in these greetings. It’d not mentioned because it’s not a person, and therefore can’t send greetings. Why are there no greetings from the Trinity? Why is the Trinity never mentioned in the Bible? – Because it’s a ‘myth’ (1 Timothy 4:7).
Galatians 1:4 – “…who gave himself for our sins… according to the will of our God and Father.”(NIV)– Jesus’ willing sacrificial death was according to his Father’s “will,” which shows Jesus to be the subordinate to his “Father” who “is greater” (John 1:14).
Galatians 1:6 – “You are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ” (NIV). – God and Christ are presented as two different people, with God, the superior, doing the calling. God is clearly shown to be someone other than Jesus Christ.
Galatians 1:15-16 – “God… set me apart… was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles.” (NAB) – “God” reveals “his Son” Jesus Christ to Paul, and uses Paul to “proclaim him to the Gentiles”. God, not Christ is shown to be the one who is in control. “His Son” is here clearly shown to be someone other than “God”.
Galatians 2:20-21 – “I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for it if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing” (NIV). Once again, we see from the scriptures that “God” is someone other than “Christ” and that “Christ died”, which means Christ can’t be God because “God . . . will never die” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB). Over and over in the scriptures the important point that “Christ died” is emphasized. Trinitarians have invented “a different Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4 NLT), a so-called “God-man”, who, they claim, died “in his human nature, but not in his God nature”. However, the scriptures plainly state that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3). If any part of Christ had remained alive, he could not have died for our sins, which would mean “Christ died for nothing”.
Galatians 3:2,5,14 – “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law . . . does God give you his Spirit . . . by the works of the law” (NIV). “Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed . . . so that we who are believers might receive the promised =&0=&Here we see that God the Father, the Almighty God, operates through Christ Jesus so that believers can ‘receive the holy Spirit through faith’. The holy Spirit is referred to as “the Spirit”, “his Spirit”, and “the promised Holy Spirit”. These descriptions are not descriptive of a person, but of an entity, and provides evidence that the holy Spirit is not a person, contrary to Trinitarian dogma.
Galatians 3:16-18 –“To your seed, who is Christ… God granted it to Abraham through the promise.” (NIV) – God gave Abraham the promise that through his seed (Christ), all nations will be blessed. God is shown to be someone other than “your seed, who is Christ,” and superior to “Christ”, thus eliminating the equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine.
Galatians 3:20 – “Now a mediator is not for one person only, whereas God is only one” (NASB). “Now the mediator or go-between [in a transaction] is not [needed] for just one
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:
The Bible’s final book, Revelation, predicts the future for the Church and humankind. The Trinity doctrine is said to be the main doctrine of Christianity, so we would expect to find the Trinity in Revelation, if the doctrine is true. The very first verse of the Book of Revelation gives us a clue as to the answer to the question of whether the Trinity doctrine is in Revelation:
