The image above represents the views of the vast majority of Christian denominations, organizations and groups. The quotes below indicate how much belief in the Triune God is considered to be orthodox, or normal, for Christians.

“God is triune; there are within the Godhead three persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”—J J Packer

“The Holy Spirit, part of the Triune God Himself, lives in the hearts of each person who believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ—Billy Graham

“We meet the triune God as he gives himself to us in the history of salvation, as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”—Fred Sanders

“God the Father is fully God. God the Son is fully God. God the Holy Spirit is fully God. The Bible presents this as a fact. It does not explain it”—Billy Graham

Since, ‘the Bible presents the Triune God as a fact,’ according to the late world renowned Christian evangelist Billy Graham, and other prominent Christian leaders, we would expect to find quite a bit of Scriptural evidence in support of it. Do we? This article investigates and analyzes some of the main scriptures used to prove the claims about the Triune God. There has to be three to be Triune, so we’ll examine scriptures that mention the three, Father, Son, and Spirit, that are claimed to be in this Trinity.

THE TRIUNE GOD IN GENESIS 1:1,26?

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). “Let us make mankind in our own image” (Genesis 1:26 NIV). The Hebrew word “Elohim” is translated “God,” which the plural of “El,” so it is asserted that “Elohim” stands for the Trinity. In other words, it is claimed that “the Trinity created the heavens and the earth,” and “the Trinity spoke to itself (“us”) about creating humans.”

However, the Hebrew “Elohim” is also used for excellence or majesty, and, in the Bible, often is used for the Almighty God, Yahweh. Even the singular pagan god Dagon is described as “Dagon our god [Elohim]” (1 Samuel 5:7). The Biblical Almighty God is a singular God, according to the Bible. Notice:

“Our God YHWH–YHWH is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4 LSV).

Jesus quoted the above by saying, “THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD” (Mark 12:29 NASB).

“God is only one” (Galatians 3:20 NASB).

“There is no God but one . . . for us there is but one God” (1 Corinthians 8:4,6).

Thus, Trinitarians simply imagine the Triune God right into Genesis 1:1,26.

THE TRIUNE GOD IN MATTHEW 3:16,17?

“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased'” (Mathew 3:16,17 NAB). In this text, Jesus is in the Jordan river, the holy Spirit is described as resembling a dove in the air, coming upon Jesus. God the Father is described as speaking from heaven. Since the three are mentioned in the same context, the Triune God is imagined to be described. However, the text says nothing about a Triune God. The holy Spirit is not described being a person or God, but rather as being “like a dove.” Jesus is not described as being God. The Father speaks aa a superior regarding his Son, not as an equal, as the Trinity doctrine asserts. The words of the text themselves give evidence against the Triune God idea.

THE TRIUNE GOD IN MATTHEW 28:19, 2 CORINTHIANS 13:14, and 1 PETER 1:2?

“Baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19)

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all”—2 Corinthians 13:14 NASB

“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ”—1 Peter 1:2 NKJV

Trinitarians assert that the mention of the three in these three scriptures is proof of the Triune being, by imagining it into the scriptures. But, once again, there is no mention of any three-in-one God, or that the Son is God, or that the holy Spirit is a person, or God. Nor is there any evidence from these three scriptures of a Triune being, which is simply assumed to exist, and then superimposed onto the scriptures.

THE TRIUNE GOD IN ISAIAH 48:16?

“And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me’ (Isaiah 48:16 NKJV). Trinitarians suppose that the 1st (the Father) and 3rd (the Holy Spirit) persons of the Trinity have sent out the 2nd person of the Trinity (the Son, Jesus). Such an idea  contradicts the Trinity’s claim of equality of the three. Jesus said, “The Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). But, even more importantly, Isaiah 48:16 is mistranslated in the KJV; NKJV and NLT. How can we be sure of mistranslation in Isaiah 48:16? For one thing, the NKJV even admits in its footnote on this verse that “the Hebrew verb is singular.” Based on the Hebrew, almost ever other translation gives the correct rendering as, “And now Lord Yahweh has sent me with his spirit” (Isaiah 48:16 NJB). The correct understanding is that the first fulfillment of the one sent is Persian king Cyrus, to destroy Babylon, and then to release the captive Jews to return to their homeland. The second fulfillment is Jesus, endowed with God’s spirit during his earthly ministry, from the time of his baptism until his death. Jesus applied Isaiah 61:1,2 to himself as he read, “The spirit of the Lord is on me” (Luke 4:16-21 NJB). Once again, we see no evidence of a three-in-one Trinity, an equality of the three, or any godship of the Son or the spirit. Nor do we see the spirit portrayed as a person. Where is the Triune God? Nowhere in sight.

ANALYSIS

Trinitarians string together a lot of unconnected verses, attempting to point out in some verses that, “the Son, Jesus, is God,” and, in other verses, “the holy Spirit is God,” along with the many scriptures plainly indicating that Almighty God the Father, Yahweh, is God. Thus, the Trinity doctrine is inferred by its adherents, but scholars admit that the concept is never directly stated in the Bible. There is not even one single verse, or context, anywhere in the Bible’s over 31,000 scriptures that states, or explains, anything about the Triune God. Could it possibly be that the majority of Christianity has “bartered for another god” (Psalm 16:4 NASB)? Could it be possible that “they exchanged the truth of God for a lie” (Romans 1:25 NASB)?

“Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? Yet my people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols!” (Jeremiah 2:11 NLT). This is exactly what happened with the “Christian” “nation” (Matthew 21:43 NLT; Galatians 6:16 NIV). Pagans had believed Triune gods for many hundreds of years prior to Christianity. The “Christian” Triune God was not even fully formulated until late in the 4th century CE, about 300 years after the Bible was completed, and the Biblical God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the holy Spirit were fused onto pagan Trinity concepts and ideas. On the other hand, the Bible refers to “the faith that was once for all handed down to the holy ones” (Jude 3 NAB), 300 years before the formulation of the “Christian” Trinity doctrine. This “faith”, or truth, never mentions the Triune God.

CONCLUSION—THE TRIUNE GOD DOES NOT EXIST

The Biblical God is “one God, the Father” (1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6). The Bible says nothing about the so-called three persons in one nature, or being, the Triune God, that Trinitarians speak of. The Biblical “one God,’ being “the Father” exclusively, eliminates any possibility of the Son, Jesus Christ, or the holy Spirit, being included in the “one God”.