ACaseForTheTrinity

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A Case for the Trinity
TheBibleisGod’sWordtous.Init,GodtellsusaboutHimselfintermsthat
we,ashumanbeingscanunderstand.
AswiththeBodily Resurrection of Christ, Salvation by Grace through Faith,
the Authority of Scripture, and the Deity of Jesus Christ,theTrinityisan
essentialChristiandoctrine.Thereisnomiddlegroundsinceitisclearlylaid
outinScripturethatthisisthetruenatureofGod.
WeneedtounderstandtheBiblicalTrinitybecauseitiswho Godis.When
weunderstandtheTrinity,weunderstandthatGodhasrevealedHimselfto
usinawaythatwemayworshipHim“inspiritandtruth.”(John4:24)
JesusChristsaysinJohn17:3,“Andthisiseternallife,that they may know
You,theonlytrueGod,andJesusChristwhomYouhavesent.”(emphasis
added)
SinceweknowthatallScripturecomesfromGod(2Timothy3:1617),that
Goddoesn’tlie(Numbers23:19;1Samuel15:29;John17:17),thatweare
toworshipHim“inspiritandtruth”(John4:24),andsinceJesusprayedthat
wewould“knowtheonlytrueGod”(John17:3),wewouldexpecttofindthe
conceptoftheTrinitywithinthepagesoftheBible.
SaintThomasAquinas(AD12251274),saidabouttheTrinity:
BeforewegetintotheBiblicaldefinitionoftheTrinityandshow,using
Scripture,thatitisindeedthetruenatureofGod,let’stakealookatwhat
someofthecultsandsomemajorworldreligionsteachabouttheTrinity.
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“WhenwespeakoftheTrinity,wemustdosowithcautionand
modesty,for,asSt.Augustinesaith,‘Nowhereelsearemore
dangerouserrorsmade,orisresearchmoredifficult,ordiscoverymore
fruitful.’”
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“sincerepersonswhowanttoknowthetrueGodandservehimfindit
abitdifficulttoloveandworshipacomplicated,freakish looking,
three-headed God.”
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“Neverwasthereamoredeceptivedoctrineadvancedthanthatofthe
trinity.”
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“AnotherliemadeandtoldbySatanforthepurposeofreproaching
God’snameandturningawayfromGodisthatofthe‘trinity.’”
TheChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,commonlyreferredtoas
Mormonism, rejectstheBiblicalteachingoftheTrinityandteachesthat:
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TheFather,SonandHolySpiritarethreeseparateGods,whatiscalled
tritheism.
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Andactually,MormonsarepolytheistssincetheybelieveinmanyGods
asseeninthefollowingquotes:
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•
“Aspertainingtothisuniverse,therearethreeGods:theFather,
Son,andHolyGhost.”
•
“Tous,speakingintheproperfinitesense,thesethreearetheonly
Godsweworship.Butinadditionthereisaninfinitenumberofholy
personages,drawnfromworldswithoutnumber,whohavepassed
ontoexaltationandarethusgods.”
Christian SciencefounderMaryBakerEddyinherbookScience and Health
with Key to the Scriptures,theprimaryChristianScienceworksaidtobea
companionoftheBible,says:
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“ThenameElohimisintheplural,butthispluralityofSpiritdoesnot
implymorethanoneGod,nordoesitimplythreepersons.”
2
JehovahÓs Witnessesteachthat:
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“ThetheoryofthreepersonsinoneGod(thatis,apersonalTrinityor
Triunity)suggestspolytheism,ratherthantheoneeverpresentIAM.
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“Saynot‘Trinity’:desist:itwillbebetterforyou:forGodisoneGod:
GlorybetoHim:(farexaltedisHe)abovehavingason.”(Sura4:171)
•
AQur’ancommentaryonthisversesays,“Thedoctrineofthe
Trinityisplainlyrejectedhere.Therearenotthreepersonsin
Godhead,butonlyone:Allah is only one God.TheHolyQur’an
nowheresaysthattheChristianTrinityisformedofJesus,Mary,
andGod…”
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OnthiswecanagreewiththeteachingofIslamsincewetooreject
thattheTrinityisJesus,MaryandGod.
MuhammadhadaverymisunderstoodviewofseveralChristian
doctrines,theTrinitybeingonlyone.
The Way InternationalfounderVictorPaulWierwillealsodeniestheTrinityas
seeninthefollowingquote:
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“Throughtheyears,themoreandmoreIcarefullyresearchedGod’s
Wordforknowledge,thelessandlessIfoundtosubstantiatea
trinity…Sohowthendidatrinitariandoctrinecomeabout?Itgradually
evolvedandgainedmomentuminlate1
st
,2
nd
,and3
rd
centuriesas
pagans,whohadconvertedtoChristianity,broughttoChristianity
someoftheirpaganbeliefsandpractices.Trinitarianismthenwas
confirmedatNicaeain325byChurchbishopsoutofpolitical
expediency.”
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Aswewillshow,thisstatementbyMr.Wierwilleisofcoursefalse.Although
thewordTrinitywasn’tuseduntilAD168byTheophilus,thesixthbishopof
Antioch,Syria,theearlychurchrecognizedtheconceptofoneGodinthree
persons.
Now,asfor“paganbeliefsandpractices”beingthecauseorthemomentum
shiftoftheTrinitybeingtaughtintheearlychurch,here’swhatDr.Walter
Martinhadtosayonthesubject:
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“AllweaskyoutounderstandisthatTrinitariantheologywasnot
derivedfrompagansources.Itwasderivedfrombiblicalpassages
wherehonest,godlymensaid,‘Hey,2PetersaysthereisaPerson
3
IslamrejectstheteachingoftheTrinityastheQur’anstates:
The Trinity Defined
ThewordTrinitysimplymeanstri-unityorthree-in-oneness.
Withthatbeingsaid,wecandefinetheTrinityas:
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“WithintheoneBeingthatisGod,thereexistseternallythreecoequal
andcoeternalpersons,namely,theFather,theSon,andtheHoly
Spirit.”
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WhilethisstatementembodiesthedefinitionoftheTrinity,it’stheBiblethat
laysitoutforus.
First,realizethatthedoctrinerestscompletelyuponthetruthofthefirst
clause:thereisonlyoneGod.
Deuteronomy6:4makesthatperfectlyclear“Hear,OIsrael;TheLORDour
God,theLORDisone!”
Thisprayer,theShema,takenfromtheHebrewword“tohear”,wasthe
prayereachmorningofthefaithfulJewanddefinedhisfaithandprovided
thefoundationofhisreligion.
OtherversesalsoattesttothefactthatthereisonlyoneGod:
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2Samuel7:22says,“ThereforeYouaregreat,OLORDGod.Forthere
isnonelikeYou,noristhereanyGodbesidesYou,accordingtoallthat
wehaveheardwithourears.”
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calledtheFather,andhe’sGod.AndActschapter5saysthereisa
PersoncalledtheSpirit,andhe’sGod.AndJohn1saysthere’sa
PersoncalledtheWordandhe’sGod.’You’vegotThreePersons,and
Deuteronomy6says,‘ThereisonlyoneGod.’Logicalconclusion:the
ThreePersons,somehow,aretheOneGod.That’showTrinitarian
theologystarted.Notwiththepagans.”
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1Kings8:60says,“…thatallthepeoplesoftheearthmayknowthat
theLORDisGod;thereisnoother.”
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1Chronicles17:20says,“OLORD,thereisnonelikeYou,noristhere
anyGodbesidesYou,accordingtoallthatwehaveheardwithour
ears.”
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Isaiah37:16says,“OLORDofhosts…YouareGod,Youalone,ofall
thekingdomsoftheearth.”
Second,thedefinitioninsiststhattherearethreedivinepersons.Please
notethatwearenotsayingtherearethreebeingsthatareonebeing,or
threepersonsthatareoneperson.Thesecondclausespeaksofthreedivine
persons,notthreedivineBeings.
Weneedtorealizethatwe’retalkingaboutonewhatandthreewhoÓs.The
onewhatistheBeingoressenceofGod;thethreewhoÓsaretheFather,
Son,andSpirit.
Andthirdly,wearetoldthattherelationshipamongthesedivinepersonsis
eternal.
Whenwespeakofrelationship,wearespeakingofthreeindividual,separate
andeternallydistinctpersonswhorelatetoeachotherpersonally.Inother
words,
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TheFathersendstheSon.(Galatians4:4;1John4:14)
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TheFathersendstheHolySpirit.(John14:26;Galatians4:6)
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TheFatherlovestheSonandtheSonlovestheFather.(John3:35;
5:20;14:31)
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TheFatherandSonglorifyeachother.(John17:1,4,5)
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TheHolySpiritglorifiestheSon.(John16:14)
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SeealsoIsaiah44:68;45:14andJeremiah10:67.
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