Tag: Trinity

Allah Is Wrong About The Trinity [4:171, 5:17]

On By Whatsoever Things Are TrueIn Bible, IslamLeave a comment

The Qur’an is very confused when it comes to the Trinity, Allah doesn’t understand what the Trinity is and we are going to prove it today. First let’s define what the Bible teaches and what Christians believe in regards to the Trinity.[1]

We believe: There’s one God (Deuteronomy 6:4), who exists as three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial divine persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit God (Matthew 28:19) is sovereign and self-existent (Exodus 3:14), and is perfectly omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immutable (Genesis 17:1), holy, righteous and loving (Judges 13:18).

With that definition known let’s turn to the Qur’an and see if Allah understands the Trinity. According to Sūrah al-Nisāa Allah is trying to refute the idea of the Trinity “Say not Three (Trinity)”.

Sūrah al-Nisāa 4:171

Allah is saying there’s 3 in the Trinity Say not: “Three (trinity)!” is that correct? Let’s make sure by going to the Islamic scholars this is fro mthe tafsir of Ibn Kathir:

(Say not: “Three!”) do not elevate `Isa and his mother to be gods with Allah. Allah is far holier than what they attribute to Him. In Surat Al-Ma’idah (chapter 5), Allah said,

Tafsir Ibn-Kathir Surah 4. An-Nisaa . Ayah 171

Ibn Kathir says Christians are elevating Isa (Jesus) and his mother (Mary) to be gods along with Allah. Mistake number 1, Christians do not believe Mary is part of the Trinity. That’s just false, meaning Allah left out the Holy Spirit and inserted Mary by mistake. Even though they are wrong about Mary, at least in this verse they are saying Christians believe in 3 Persons as 1 God.

Here comes the big contradiction within the Qur’an. According to Sūrah al-Māidah 5:17 there’s a person missing in the Trinity. Reading the verse carefully the Qur’an says that Christians says Allah is Christ. In other words the Qur’an is saying Christians believe Jesus is the Father. That means the Qur’an left out a person and is saying there are only two people in the Trinity Jesus and Mary.

Are you getting it? This verse says the Messiah is Allah that makes 1 person, and Muslims believe Allah and Jesus are 2 different individuals. So if Jesus is Allah that’s 1 Person and the second Person is Mary so who’s the third person of the Trinity?

Sūrat al-Māidah 5:17

Conclusion

This contradiction proves the Qur’an has mistakes, no Christian believes Mary is part of the Trinity, and if Jesus is Allah then that only leaves 2 people. The 3rd person is missing from the Trinity. How can Allah be god and yet doesn’t know these fundamental beliefs. All Christians believe the Trinity is 3 distinct Persons who are co-equal in essence as the 1 God.

Muslims need to wake up and see that they have been lied to, their god has no undertsanding of the Trinity and the Qur’an is filled with mistakes. The Saviour of the world Jesus Christ is waiting for you to confess with your mouth that He is Lord.[2]

Footnotes

[1] The Trinity is the Christian doctrine that deals with and describes the nature of God. Theopidia. Trinity. Retrieved from https://www.theopedia.com/trinity

[2] Romans 10:9-10 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The Poo Poo of Allah and Muhammad (Trinity)

On By Whatsoever Things Are TrueIn IslamLeave a comment

Muhammadian are obsessed with the Trinity just like their prophet who was obsessed with the number 3, they make all sorts of outlandish remarks challenging Christians on the belief. But logic dictates that if you want to refute Christians on the Trinity then they must know what Christians believe when it comes to the Trinity. That’s fair right?

Just to show the ignorance of Abdools this article on Blogging Theology and reblogged by quranandBibleblog Does the Qur’ān misunderstand the Trinity? [Analysis of Sūrat al-ikhlāṣ]

In this article, we’ll provide evidence that Allah has no idea what Christians believe about the Trinity. We’re going to expose the poo poo of Muhammad and Allah.

All Muslims believe the name Allah is the personal name for their god. Let’s look at how the Qur’ān describes the Trinity and see if Allah knows best? First, let’s begin with the Christian definition of the Trinity.

Contrary to what Muslims would claim, Christians believe in One God[1] we are bound to what the scriptures say about who God is. Christianity is a monotheistic faith that sprang forth from Judaism as Jesus and the first Christians His disciples were all Jews.

Christians believe: There is one God, who exists as three co-equal, co-eternal persons, namely the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and self-existent and is omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, immutable, holy, righteous and loving. (Deut 6:4, John 1:1, Matt 28:19, 1 Cor 12:4-6, 2 Cor 13:14, Eph 1:11, 1 John 1:5, 4:16).[2]

Qur’ān Ezra is the son of God?

Let’s compare what the Qur’ān says about the Trinity and see if it matches the definition above? In Surah At-Tawbah 9:30 Allah says “The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the Son of God”. Is this correct did the Jews ever believe Ezra (Uzair) was the son of Allah?

Surah At-Tawbah 9:30

Not one Jew believes this, there’s no source outside of the Qur’ān that corroborates ayat 9:30 a challenge to Muslims, provide a source outside of the Qur’ān proving The Jews say, ‘Ezra is the Son of God’; the Christians say, ‘The Messiah is the Son of God.’ …

Tovia Singer the Abdools favourite Rabbi said:

“Well it’s an interesting question that comes from the Qur’ān it’s chapter 9 it’s the chapter called repentance or it’s and it’s the chapter 9 Surah 9 verse 30 and there it says that the Jews say that Ezra is the son of God the Christians say that Allah the Christians say that the Messiah is the son of God they speak with their mouths but they really what they have essentially is something they received from the past and the speaking absolutely nonsense and essentially and Allah is against them because of what they’re saying essentially is a perversion something essentially like that and it was so that was very intriguing about this passage in the Qur’ān is that of course everybody who reads it is going wait I don’t know any Jew who believe that Ezra a great prophet and incidentally is considered a prophet in Islam as well I don’t know any Jew who believes that Ezra was the son of God.”

Why does the Quran Condemn the Jews for Revering Ezra as the Son of God? Rabbi Tovia Singer Responds

Allah is wrong and, therefore, the Qur’ān is wrong also unless there’s a source outside of the Qur’ān that agrees but there are none. Of course, Tovia Singer tries to side with the Muslims saying it was one heretical man because he’s a puppet. If we turn to the same commentators Tovia mentioned we see that they are referring to the Jews as a whole and are contrasting that to what Christians believe about Christ.

The Jews say Ezra is the son of God; and the Christians say The Messiah Jesus is the son of God. That is the utterance of their mouths for which they have no support nay imitating the utterances of those who disbelieved before them from among their forefathers mimicking them. God assail curse them! How they are deviated! turned away from the truth despite the proofs having been established.

Tafsir al-Jalalayn

Muslims need to provide evidence for their claim, bring any Jew who believes Ezra is the son of God in the same sense Jesus is the Son of God. If you read the verse carefully there’s a slew of language speaking in the plural sense ie Jews, Christians, their mouths etc.[3]

Qur’ān Jesus and Mary are God’s?

In Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:116 Allah will ask Isa (“Jesus”) if he told people to take himself and his mother as deities. This is NOT what Christians believe that both Jesus and Mary are God’s! Bear in mind the Christian definition of the Trinity provided above doesn’t mention Mary at all.

We believe in one God (Deut 6:4) who exists as three co-equal, co-eternal persons, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Why doesn’t Allah know this if he is god, I thought Allah was supposed to know best?

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:116

Yet the Qur’ān accuses Christians of worshipping Mary as god? Again Muslims have zero sources other than the Qur’ān to substantiate this erroneous claim. There’s not a single Christian who believes Mary is a god. Perhaps our Muslim friends would point to Catholics, and while there are practices Christians and Catholics disagree on, they do not worship Mary as a god.

[5:116] … Allah saith: O Jesus, son of Mary! Didst thou say unto mankind: Take me and my mother for two gods beside Allah? … How can Allah get this wrong if he’s god? Their god cannot even get the Trinity right we challenge the Abdools to show us references that Christians worship Mary as god. Qur’ān has to be the dumbest book ever as Allah can’t get the Trinity correct, their own scholars affirm this.[4]

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:75

Allah again tries to prove that Christians somehow took Jesus and his mother as gods In Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:75 The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. … Allah felt the need to mention they eat food, that this somehow proves they are human and refutes Christians.[5] Once again there’s not a single Christian who believes Mary is part of the Trinity, Allah can’t seem to get anything right.

“(They both used to eat food) needing nourishment and to relieve the call of nature. Therefore, they are just servants like other servants, not gods as ignorant Christian sects claim, may Allah’s continued curses cover them until the Day of Resurrection.”[6]

Why aren’t the Muslims providing any references proving that Christians worship Mary? There’s not a single bit of evidence brought to back the claim of the Qur’ān.

Surah At-Tawbah 9:31

Here in Surah At-Tawbah 9:31 we have a different Trinity by Allah. “They have taken as lords beside Allah their rabbis and their monks and the Messiah son of Mary, when they were bidden to worship only One Allah. …” Allah can’t make up his mind, do the Christians worship:

  1. Allah, The Messiah and Mary
  2. Allah, Rabbis (Jews), Monks (Christians) and the Messiah

What happened to Mary in 9:31? All of a sudden she disappeared, Allah now adds Monks for the Christians. Even their god just like the Muslims doesn’t know what Christians believe.

It’s clear Allah doesn’t know what the Trinity is; even though we know Allah is really Muhammad masquerading as god who forgot what he said in one part of the Qur’ān and then contradicts himself in another part of the Qur’ān. Big poo poo!

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:17

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:17 They indeed have disbelieved who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. … And Allah is Able to do all things.

Muslims believe Allah is the name of their god, so how can the Qur’ān say that Christians believe Allah is the Messiah, in other words, Jesus is Allah the name of their god? Additionally, the verse says Allah can do all things, yet he cannot have a son because he needs a girlfriend to have sexual intercourse [6:101]. What kind of god is limited that he needs a woman (spouse or consort) to have a son. This is how humans produce offspring and Allah can only do what his creation can in producing a son.[7]

This ayat only serves to prove that Allah cannot do all things as he’s limited in what he’s capable of. Yahweh is capable of having a Son as that’s not impossible for Him, this is why the God of the Bible is called Almighty.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:72

Here we see the redundancy of Allah in Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:72 “They surely disbelieve who say: Lo! Allah is the Messiah, son of Mary. …”, this god repeats himself over and over that’s how cults get their doctrine into your head. Allah has nothing new to say just repetitive garbage.

Muslims attack the heretical teaching of Tritheism, believing in three separate Gods. Christians believe only in One God as the Torah proclaims. Allah cannot understand how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the 1 Almighty God. If God could be placed in a perfect box-like Allah can then you need to find yourself a new god.

There’s plurality in unity in the Torah we read how a husband and wife become one flesh. Does this mean they become one person? Of course not! Adam and Eve were still 2 separate persons who now as husband and wife are in perfect union with one another.

Genesis 2:24

Islam lacks this concept as Muslims are under the false assumption that God must be a solitary person, how can Allah be “the Merciful” (الرَّحِيمِ) if he Allah existed all alone. He would have a need to create mankind first in order to be merciful, this means Allah lacked something and out of necessity had to create mankind. The same question has to be asked how can Allah be “Ar-Rahman” (the Most Gracious) (الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ) if he had none to be gracious too? Allah is truly limited.

In comparison Yahweh, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were always eternally together in perfect union or fellowship. The God of the Bible is Love and didn’t need to create in order to be loving because all 3 Persons of the Trinity (Godhead) can be loving to one another before creation. Yahweh never lacked anything and it was out of love He created mankind.

Just like Adam and Eve are a picture of the union between all 3 Persons in the Trinity.[8] God is all self-sufficient and is sociable among the three Eternal Persons, we have communication all throughout the New Testament as the Son communicated with His Father (John 12:27-28).

The Father acknowledges His love for the Son (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).[9] While Allah the god of Islam is mute and doesn’t communicate with his creation.

Conclusion

What have we learned today? Well, we’ve learned that Allah doesn’t know the concept of the Trinity and attributes false accusations toward Jews and Christians. Muslims believe in a god that lacked and needed to create mankind in order to show he’s “merciful”, this cannot be god. The true God Yahweh is superior in every way as all 3 Persons eternally loved each other and had perfect fellowship. The God of the Bible communicates not only between each other, but also communicates and loves His creation, which includes Muslims also.

Wake up Muhammadians Allah is a powerless idol who cannot provide anything. Come into the Light of Jesus Christ who created you in His image. May the Lord be magnified!

Footnotes

[1] “That the New Testament is monotheistic at the core is a fact recognized generally on all sides. The shadow of the Shema “Hear O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deut. 6:4), though never quoted in the New Testament (though alluded to in James 2:19), broods over its pages with all the weight it carried in Old Testament times, being the chief and holiest declaration of the Jewish religion. Such a monotheistic view pervades the whole outlook of Jesus: “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only’” (Luke 4:8).” Beisner, E. C. (1984). God in three persons (Ser. Living studies). Tyndale House. pp. 26-27

[2] “God the Father is preeminently the one who plans and ordains and initiates the course of history and the events that take place. The Father sends the Son into the world to accomplish redemption. The idea os sending presupposes that the Father ha already determined a mission for the Son. What the Son accomplishes is what the Father has planned. The Holy Spirit applies the accomplishments of the Son to those who are united to the Son by faith. (See fig 12.1) So we have three aspects: planning, accomplishment, and application. In the large story of redemption, these aspects have a succession in time. The planning belongs to the past. God has already planned from before the foundation of the world what he would do in redemption (Eph 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20; Rev 13:8). The accomplishments belong especially to the time of the earthly life of Christ, including his death and resurrection (“made manifest,” 1 Peter 1:20). The application belongs especially to the time when the Holy Spirit is at work from Pentecost onward” Poythress, V. S. (2020). The mystery of the trinity : a trinitarian approach to the attributes of God. P&R Publishing Company. pp. 94-95

[3] “(And the Jews) the Jews of Medina (say: Ezra is the son of Allah, and the Christians) the Christians of Najran (say: The Messiah is the son of Allah. That is their saying with their mouths) with their tongues. (They imitate the saying of those who disbelieved of old) before them, i.e. the disbelievers of Mecca who said that al-Lat, al-‘Uzza and Manat were His daughters, just as the Jews claimed that Ezra was the son of Allah and some of the Christians claimed that Jesus was the son of Allah, others that he was Allah’s partner while there were others who said that he was Allah Himself or one god among three. (Allah (Himself) fights against them) Allah curses them. (How perverse are they!) from where do they get their lies?” Tafsir Ibn ‘Abbas (2021). Surah At-Tawbah. Retrieved from https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=73&tSoraNo=9&tAyahNo=30&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2

[4] “Allah will also speak to His servant and Messenger, `Isa son of Maryam, peace be upon him, saying to him on the Day of Resurrection in the presence of those who worshipped `Isa and his mother as gods besides Allah, (O `Isa, son of Maryam! Did you say unto men: `Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah’) This is a threat and a warning to Christians, chastising them in public, as Qatadah and others said, and Qatadah mentioned this Ayah as evidence, (“This is a Day on which the truthful will profit from their truth.”) 5:119 Allah’s statement, (Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say)…) contains Allah’s direction for `Isa to utter the perfect answer. Ibn Abi Hatim recorded that Abu Hurayrah said, “`Isa will be taught his argument in reply to what Allah will ask him, (And (remember) when Allah will say (on the Day of Resurrection): “O `Isa, son of Maryam! Did you say unto men: `Worship me and my mother as two gods besides Allah’) 5:116 .” Abu Hurayrah then narrated that the Prophet said that Allah taught `Isa to say, (Glory be to You! It was not for me to say what I had no right (to say)…) Ath-Thawri narrated this Hadith from Ma`mar from Ibn Tawus from Tawus. `Isa’s statement, (Had I said such a thing, You would surely have known it.) means, had I said it, You, my Lord, would have known it, for nothing escapes Your knowledge. Rather, I have not said these words nor did the thought even cross my mind, this why he said, (You know what is in my inner self though I do not know what is in Yours, truly, You, only You, are the Knower of all that is hidden and unseen. Never did I say to them ought except what You (Allah) did command me to say…) and convey, (Worship Allah, my Lord and your Lord.) I only called them to what You sent me with and commanded me to convey to them, …” alim.org (2022) APA citation. Surah 5. Al-Maida. Ayah 116 Ibn-Kathir Al-Qur’an Tafsir Retrieved from https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/5/116

[5] “This verse confirms that Maryam (Mary – peace be upon her) is not divine, on two counts: (i) Her status is that of siddeeqiyyah (being strong and true in faith), which is a status of servitude to Allah, may He be exalted. (ii) She used to eat food, which is the description of a created being who has needs; it is not the description of God Who is independent of means and has no need of His creation.” islamqa.info (2016, December 19) APA citation. What is the concept of the Christian Trinity that the Qur’an declares to be false? Retrieved from https://islamqa.info/en/answers/243142/what-is-the-concept-of-the-christian-trinity-that-the-quran-declares-to-be-false

[6] alim.org (2022) APA citation. Surah 5. Al-Maida. Ayah 72 Ibn-Kathir Al-Qur’an Tafsir Retrieved from https://www.alim.org/quran/tafsir/ibn-kathir/surah/5/72

[7] “He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth which He originated uniquely without precedent; how should He have a son when He has no consort spouse and He created everything that was meant to be created and He has knowledge of all things?” altafsir.com Tafsir al-Jalalayn (2021) APA citation. Surah Al-An’am. Retrieved from https://www.altafsir.com/Tafasir.asp?tMadhNo=0&tTafsirNo=74&tSoraNo=6&tAyahNo=101&tDisplay=yes&UserProfile=0&LanguageId=2

[8] “Genesis 2:24 is responding to the question of why a person would leave the closet biological relationship (parents to children) in order to forge a relationship with a biological outsider. The answer offered is that marriage goes beyond biology to recover an original state, for humanity is ontologically gendered. Ontology trumps biology. This has shown Adam that the woman is not just a reproductive mating partner. Her identity is that she is his ally, his other half” Walton, J. H. (2015). The lost world of adam and eve: genesis 2-3 and the human origins debate. InterVarsity Press., pp. 80-81

[9] “In more detail, we may find the following emephasis here. First, man is prior to woman (1 Cor 11:8, 9; 1 Tim 2:13). Secondly, the sexes are complementary: the true partnership is expounded by the terms that are used (a helper fit for him, 18, 20, RSV; literally ‘a help as opposite him’, i.e. ‘corresponding to him’), by the fruitless search elsewhere, as man discerns the natures (expressing them in the names, 20) of other creatures, and by the fact that Eve is of the very stuff of Adam and yet a wholly new being. Adam’s joyful ‘at last …’ (23, RSV) grows into the first poetic couplet in the Bible, and his work of naming is triumphantly concluded in a title that echoes his own. Thirdly, the union of the two in marriage is to be exclusive” Kidner, D. (2008). Genesis: an introduction and commentary (Ser. Tyndale old testament commentaries, v. 1). IVP Academic.

Sheikh Uthman Ibn Farooq Get’s Busted

On By Whatsoever Things Are TrueIn Bible, IslamLeave a comment

If you’re familiar with Muslim Dawah, there’s a Muslim Missionary in Balboa Park in San Diego by the name of Ibn Farooq. He has set up a booth and challenges Christians and others trying to prove that Islam is true. He brings out a marked/tabbed Bible which he uses to try to convince Christians of supposed “contradictions.”

If a Christian makes the claim that Allah doesn’t exist, Muslims say that Allah is mentioned in the Arabic Bible. If Allah of the Qur’ān is the same God of the Bible then we should be able to compare them both and come to the conclusion that they are the same God. But are they?

In this article we’ll do just that, we’re going to look at both the Bible and Qur’ān to see if Allah and Yahweh are the same?

Surah An-Nisa 4:82

The Son of God (Bible VS Qur’ān)

It’s a well-known fact that Christians worship Jesus Christ as the Son of God, He’s the eternal Son who is God. The Bible mentions this in multiple places (Daniel 3:25, Matthew 4:3, 6, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 26:63, Matthew 27:40, 43, 54, Mark 1:1, Mark 3:11, Mark 15:39, Luke 1:35, Luke 3:38, Luke 4:3, 9, 41, Luke 22:70, John 1:34, 49, John 5:25, John 9:35, John 10:36, John 11:4, 27, John 19:7, John 20:31, Acts 8:37, Acts 9:20, Romans 1:4, 2 Corinthians 1:19, Galatians 2:20, Ephesians 4:13, Hebrews 4:14, Hebrews 6:6, Hebrews 7:3, Hebrews 10:29, 1 John 3:8, 1 John 4:15, 1 John 5:5, 10, 12-13, 20, Revelation 2:18).

In the Arabic Bible, we have verses such as John 9:35 where the Lord Jesus asked the blind man He healed if he now believes in the Son of God.

John 9:35

In the Arabic Bible, the words are (أَتُؤْمِنُ بِابْنِ اللَّهِ؟) translated “Do you believe in the Son of God?”

What about the most well known Bible verse in the world John 3:16? The God of the Bible has a Son, Jesus Christ. In the Arabic Bible, the words (بَذَلَ ابْنَهُ الْوَ) are translated “gave his Son”.1 That means Muslims agree that Allah has a Son since they want to use the Arabic Bible to prove Allah exists.

John 3:16

If Muslims appeal to the Bible claiming the word Allah used in the Bible means the same God then Muslims must also accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and thereby they refute their own Qur’ān.

Here’s where the Qur’ān contradicts the Bible, it’s well known that Muslims don’t believe Jesus is the Son of God as the Qur’ān says. The Qur’ān says Allah doesn’t beget nor was He begotten.

Surah Al-Isra 17:43

I would like to see how Muslims reconcile this? You cannot appeal to the Bible claiming we worship the same God and at the same time reject it because remember Sheikh Uthman Ibn Farooq claims they are the same. And the Muslims love Uthman, will they continue to agree with Sheikh Uthman Ibn Farooq?

The Trinity (Bible VS Qur’ān)

Muslims love asking Christians “where in the Bible does it say, Trinity?” This is a valid question and honestly speaking the word Trinity doesn’t appear in the Bible, another word does and that’s Godhead.

Additionally, we have multiple verses which teach the concept of the Trinity.

Matthew 3:16-17 we have a clear view of the Trinity, the Lord Jesus goes to John the Baptist and gets baptised. When this happens the heavens were opened and the Spirit of God came down upon Christ. Lastly, there’s a voice from heaven saying this is my beloved Son, in one moment you have all 3 Persons of the Trinity.

Matthew 3:16-17

But just as our Muslim friends ask to see the word Trinity in the Bible, can they show us the word Tawheed in the Qur’ān? It doesn’t exist. The word Tawheed means unification NOT oneness as Muslims like to believe.

Even though our friends still say Yahweh is Allah this cannot be true. The God of the Bible is Triune, Allah is not and therefore they cannot be the same.

Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:73

This Qur’ān verse 5:73 contradicts another verse in the Qur’ān which proves the Trinity, which you’ll see further down (remember Qur’ān 4:82 at the beginning of this article). If these are supposed to be the words of god why are we finding all of these contradictions? The challenge made by Allah falls flat.

Jesus Christ is God (Bible VS Qur’ān)

Colossians 2:9

This is a problematic verse for Muslims because the context is speaking of Jesus Christ as God. We’re told that believers (Christians) in Christ “are And ye are complete in him,” and that Jesus is “the head of all principality and power:”

“Paul here asserts that “all the πληρωμα of the Godhead,” not just certain aspects, dwells in Christ and in bodily form (σωματικως, late and rare adverb, in Plutarch, inscription, here only in N.T.), dwells now in Christ in his glorified humanity (Php 2:9-11 ), “the body of his glory” (τω σωματ της δοξης). The fulness of the God-head was in Christ before the Incarnation (Joh 1:1,18; Php 2:6 ), during the Incarnation (Joh 1:14,18; 1Jo 1:1-3 ). It was the Son of God who came in the likeness of men (Php 2:7 ). Paul here disposes of the Docetic theory that Jesus had no human body as well as the Cerinthian separation between the man Jesus and the aeon Christ. He asserts plainly the deity and the humanity of Jesus Christ in corporeal form. Col 2:10” New Testament Greek scholar AT Robertson in his book Word Pictures In The New Testament.2

Godhead

The Inflected Greek word is θεότητος (theótitos) stemming from the Root word θεότης (theotēs) and the Root Word of θεότης is θεός (theós).

θεότης theótēs, theh-ot’-ace; divinity (abstractly):—godhead. Biblical Usage (deity, the state of being God, Godhead)

The Qur’ān also proves the Trinity and that Jesus is God and Muslims are unaware of this fact in [4:171], we’re here to bust Muhammad and his lying ways. “Christ Jesus” otherwise known as Isa according to Muslims was (1) a messenger of Allah which means he’s a man (2) His Word or the Word of Allah which means uncreated because Muslims believe Allah’s word is eternal (3) and a spirit proceeding from Him this means a spirit proceeding from Allah.

Surah An-Nisa 4:171

This verse in the Qur’ān is trying to disprove the Trinity but in actuality confirms it. As Isa (“Jesus”) himself is 3, a messenger, His Word and a spirit proceeding from Allah. And since Allah’s Word is not created and he said “Be” (Allah created everything by saying Be) and it was as Muslims believe. That means Isa is not created and Allah created everything through Jesus, and Jesus is a spirit coming from Allah.3 Unless Muslims disagree and want to say Allah’s word is created but they won’t dare to say that.

Jesus is wakalimatuhu 

(إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ)

Conclusion

In this article, we proved that Jesus is the Son of God from the Arabic Bible, that the Trinity is found in the Qur’ān and that Jesus is God. It’s very easy to prove Islam is false and bust Abdools from their own books. We pray for their souls to be saved by coming to Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins. Leave Islam before it’s too late, the only True God is found in the Bible come to Jesus Christ for everlasting life.

Footnotes

1 International Biblical Association Word Project John 3:16 Retrieved from https://www.wordproject.org/bibles/ar/43/3.htm#0

2 New Testament Greek scholar AT Robertson in his book Word Pictures In The New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Christian Classics Ethereal Library 1993., p. 1558).

3 All of the attributes of Allah, may He be exalted, are uncreated; they are eternal, with no beginning. The words of Allah are among these attributes, and that includes the Qur’ān. Therefore the scholars said that the Qur’ān is not created, because it is the words of Allah, and that is one of His attributes. – Islamqa.info (2015, July 20). The Qur’an is the word of Allah, may He be exalted, and is not created Retrieved from https://islamqa.info/en/answers/227441/the-quran-is-the-word-of-allah-may-he-be-exalted-and-is-not-created

Gabe the street preacher and his erroneous doctrine

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There’s a preacher on YouTube by the name of Gabe the street preacher, he’s been around for some years posting videos preaching on different street corners. He tends to frequent churches, colleges, concerts, parades etc.

Gabe states that he’s Christian yet denies fundamental Christian doctrine, some of which are listed here from his own channel. Doctrines Gabe the street preacher denies are (1) The Trinity / Godhead (2) believes a person must be baptised “in the name of Jesus Christ” for salvation thereby denying the commandment of Christ in Matthew 28:19 (3) a person must “speak in new tongues” as evidence of salvation. (4) Thinks born again Christians can lose their salvation.

(1) Oneness Pentecostals deny the plurality in the Godhead, namely the Trinity because they think by holding to the Oneness of God they must reject the 3 Persons within the Triune God. It’s not known if Gabe the street preacher identifies as a “Oneness Pentecostal”? But he certainly holds to the teaching that God as 1 individual.

The same is true of Muslim and Unitarians they also deny the plurality or Persons within the 1 God. And when the following passages are read in context the belief that God is 1 individual fails apart.

Gabe holds to the teaching of Modalism (otherwise known as Sabellianism) which has been proven as a heretical teaching. The following verse proves there’s 1 God (Deuteronomy 6:4) but since the Bible has no contradictions how does a Modalist interpret verses which shows a distinction between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

In the classic case of the Trinity found in the Gospel of John we read:

John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

Clearly the Word is a separate Person from “God” John 1:1 says “the Word was with God”, in order for the Word to be with God denotes two Persons are in view. If we read the Greek which is even more powerful it reads that the Word was πρὸς τὸν θεόν which means “face to face” with God. How does Gabe the street preacher interpret this scripture if he denies the Trinity?

Another problematic verse is the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Matthew:

Matthew 3:16-17 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

In this account we have Jesus Christ in the water, Christ see’s the the Spirit of God coming down like a dove upon Him; and we have a voice from heaven. This is another proof text of the Trinity we have 3 Persons in view, the Lord Jesus in the water, the Holy Spirit coming down on Christ and the Father speaking from Heaven. How can verses like these be explained by a oneness person who denies the Trinity?

In a recent video Gabe went as far to make a claim that the Catholic church some how altered the text to insert the Trinity into the Bible. This claim lacks knowledge on a fundamental level, this is the same attack Muslims use against the Bible. It seems Gabe has more in common with Islam than Christianity. The reason why his argument is weak is because (1) the Catholic church was not in existence during the times of Christ (2) manuscripts were already being distributed throughout the world before the Catholic church was formed (3) in order for the Catholic church to “alter” the text of the Bible they would have to find every manuscript in the world and systematically alter the text without destroying the papyri by erasing/adding words.

We have over 5800 Greek New Testament manuscripts to date, with an impressive 2.6 million pages of biblical text. If Gabe the street preacher understood the silliness of his assumption he would see that it’s impossible for anyone to remove or add words into the text of the papyri.

This is not taking into account the Hebrew Tanakh (Old Testament) as well. All of which both the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts were distributed throughout the world. The Catholic church would have to gather each one in order to “change the text”. It’s an impossible feat just gathering them, on top of actually changing the text itself would require damaging the delicate papyri its written on.

Lastly, we have textual critics who have dedicated their lives to researching these manuscripts and none of which agree with Gabe. Also we must take into account that these manuscripts are written in Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Syriac and Coptic. I’d love to hear from Gabe how he thinks it would be possible to complete such a task? We can rest assure that the manuscript evidence for our Bibles are solid and the text found within them sound.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? (3/9)

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Is It Clearly a Bible Teaching?

If the Trinity were true, it should be clearly and consistently presented in the Bible. Why? Because, as the apostles affirmed, the Bible is God’s revelation of himself to mankind. And since we need to know God to worship him acceptably, the Bible should be clear in telling us just who he is.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? pg 5

The Watchtower Society claims the doctrine of the Trinity is not “clearly and consistently presented in the Bible.” Before we prove this statement to be untrue we have to understand how the Watchtower is structured. The governing body (8 men) are the ones who call all the shots, they’re responsible for disseminating Watchtower doctrine to its members.

The everyday Jehovah Witness in my personal view are people who are sincere, but in all their zeal they are sincerely mistaken. In fact they are kept in the cult by confusion and manipulation of the scriptures. On the other hand the governing body in my opinion are deceivers and are fully aware of what they are doing. For this reason when dealing with Jehovah Witnesses I try to view the every day Witness as someone who’s lost and deceived by a group of deceivers. Therefore, a little compassion goes a long way in dealing with the JW’s at the carts.

Why are the JW’s confused about the Trinity doctrine, well first and foremost is because they’ve failed in knowing who the Lord Jesus is; if you get Christ wrong then all your doctrine will be erroneous.

Let’s go through some scriptures which lays out the Trinity doctrine. And we will aim to make it consistently clear and present it for our Jehovah Witness friends.

God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth:

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I [am] the LORD that maketh all [things]; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;

Jesus Christ is the Creator of the heavens and the earth:

Notice the LORD created the heavens alone and spread abroad the earth by His self. Let’s move on, if God created everything then what do Jehovah Witnesses do with John 1:1-3, 10.

John 1:1-3, 10 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Hebrews 1:10-12 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

This passage in Hebrews is speaking of Jesus Christ as the Creator and its a direct quote from Psalms 102 almost verbatim.

Psalms 102:25-27 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens [are] the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou [art] the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Is this a contradiction when God says He’s created all things alone? Well if you’re a Jehovah Witness it is because according to their theology Jesus is not God yet Jehovah used Jesus to create everything other than Himself.

Question if Jesus is a created creature as Watchtower teaches that would place Jesus in the created category with everything else besides God who is uncreated/eternal. But wait the scriptures especially Colossians 1:16 which says Jesus created all things. This means Jesus Christ can’t belong in the same category otherwise Christ would have to create Himself.

Watchtower takes Colossians 1:16 and instead of saying “all things” they altered the scripture to say “all other things” in order to fit with their own theology claiming Jesus is a created lesser god. Can you see how adding the word “other” completely changes the meaning of this text? these are just 1 of the sneaky tricks the Watchtower is known for.

This would make Jesus Christ God because He created the heavens and earth.

God the Father is Creator

1 Corinthians 8:6 But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.

Act 17:28-29 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.

James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

The Holy Spirit is God the Creator

The Bible is clear that the Holy Spirit is God. We can determine the Holy Spirit is God in the following ways: (1) He’s called God. (2) He’s treated on an equal basis with God the Father and God the Son. (3) He has the attributes of God. (4) He does the work of God.

Genesis 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.

It certainly clear the Trinity can be seen in just these few verses and there are many more found in our Bible. This is a big dilemma for Jehovah Witnesses, and because this information is damaging to the Watchtower theology JW’s are instructed by the governing body not to research in order to keep them in the dark.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? (2/9)

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How Is the Trinity Explained?

THE Roman Catholic Church states: “The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion . . . Thus, in the words of the Athanasian Creed: ‘the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods but one God.’ In this Trinity . . . the Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent.”- The Catholic Encyclopedia.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Each is said to be almighty, with each neither greater nor lesser than the others. Is such reasoning hard to follow? Many sincere believers have found it to be confusing, contrary to normal reason, unlike anything in their experience. How, they ask, could the Father be God, Jesus be God, and the holy spirit be God, yet there be not three Gods but only one God?

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

The Watchtower teaches that Christians believe in 3 gods, they cannot grasp like all non-Christians the understanding how 3 individuals of the Godhead can all be the Almighty God (Jehovah). JW’s agree the Father is God Almighty no argument there. When the subject of the Son or the Holy Spirit comes into play this is when the JW mind shuts down.

A logical illustration is imagine two persons named John and the other Mark. We are indeed talking about two distinct persons, one named John the other Mark; they are distinct one from another. Yet John and Mark are both human, John isn’t more human than Mark or vice versa. When grasping the difference between being and person then we can understand how it’s possible for the 3 Persons of the Godhead to be the 1 God.

This is clearly laid out in the scriptures more strongly in the New Testament but I will endeavour to show this in the Old Testament as the Trinity is all over the Bible.

Before Sodom and Gomorrah had fire and brimstone rained down upon, Abraham was visited by 3 men one of those men was called the LORD. In the beginning of Genesis chapter 18 we read:

Genesis 18:1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;

Genesis 18:1 says the LORD appeared to Abraham, God physically came and stood before Abraham in his tent.

Genesis 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,

Genesis 18:2 tells us the LORD came with 2 others, these other two turn out to be angels, later go ahead towards the city of Sodom and Gomorrah in order to witness what’s taking place in those cities.

Abraham eats food with God, the LORD then ask “Where is Sarah thy wife?” (Genesis 18:9) and goes onto tell Abraham how she will give birth (Genesis 18:10).

Genesis 18:10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him.

The covenant keeping God tells Sarah she’ll give birth and Sarah laughs because she’s been struggling with the fact that she’s been unable to give birth (Genesis 18:11). Additionally, she and Abraham are well in age and in unbelief thinks it’s not possible but we know that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26, Mark 10:27).

The following verse says that “Sarah laughed within herself” (Genesis 18:12) the LORD then replies:

Genesis 18:13, 14 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

But wait the Jehovah Witnesses in their attempt to deny the deity of Christ will quote verses which highlights the humanity of Christ, Him being fully man while neglecting the verses which proves His deity. There’s 2 verses written by the apostle John which says:

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

1 John 4:12 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Being that the Bible has no contradictions, then who did Abraham sit down with who is called the LORD in Genesis chapter 18? We can only come to the conclusion that’s it’s not God the Father nor God the Holy Spirit. That leaves only one Person and that’s the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the pre-incarnate Christ who makes numerous appearances in the Old Testament.

“Beyond the Grasp of Human Reason”

THIS confusion is widespread. The Encyclopedia Americana notes that the doctrine of the Trinity is considered to be “beyond the grasp of human reason.” Many who accept the Trinity view it that same way. Monsignor Eugene Clark says: “God is one, and God is three. Since there is nothing like this in creation, we cannot understand it, but only accept it.” Cardinal John O’Connor states: “We know that it is a very profound mystery, which we don’t begin to under- stand.” And Pope John Paul II speaks of “the inscrutable mystery of God the Trinity.”

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

God is beyond His creation but understanding the Godhead is not completely out of our reach. I would have to disagree with the statement “there is nothing like this in creation”, if we look around we can see the stamp of God in creation, while yes it is true God is beyond His creation but He didn’t leave us utterly without being able to grasp the understanding of how God is 1 yet comprised of 3 distinct Persons.

Time is comprised of 3 components, the past, things which occurred or transpired already. There’s also the present which pertains to the time we are currently living or experiencing or occurring now. Lastly, we have the future, events that will happen at a later time. Each of these are part of time which is “the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.”

This is just one example but as was demonstrated God has fixed the truth of Himself in all that before our eyes. This is why in the book of Romans says that we are without excuse.

Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

Trinitarians are not without understanding, the Watchtower would have people think we’re scratching our heads in confusion but it’s just not so. Jesus Christ is of the same substance or nature as the Father, the same is true of the Holy Spirit. God is the perfect being who doesn’t need anything outside of Himself, all 3 Persons of the Godhead have eternally enjoyed perfect love and fellowship among the 3. The apostle John sums it up clearly in John 1:1, 1 John 5:7.

God didn’t leave us stranded without understanding how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the 1 God spoken of in scripture. He left us His word and we can see it in creation itself.

Thus, A Dictionary of Religious Knowledge says: “Precisely what that doctrine is, or rather precisely how it is to be explained, Trinitarians are not agreed among themselves.” We can understand, then, why the New Catholic Encyclopedia observes: “There are few teachers of Trinitarian theology in Roman Catholic seminaries who have not been badgered at one time or another by the question, ‘But how does one preach the Trinity?’ And if the question is symptomatic of confusion on the part of the students, perhaps it is no less symptomatic of similar confusion on the part of their professors.”

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Here we have the comment “Trinitarians are not agreed among themselves” this couldn’t be farther from the truth. Those who hold to the Trinity doctrine all agree on the fundamental teachings. Unfortunately, there are doctrines which may seem similar but in actuality are not the same as Trinitarianism.

For instance modalist believe God is 1 being, where they differ is they claim God is absolutely 1 person. Modalism (also Sabellianism, Monarchianism) teaches the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are 1 Person, The Father changed into the Son at some point in time; and the Son turned into the Holy Spirit. Modalist deny the distinction of Persons within the Godhead, and it was classified as heresy by the early church. People who believe in modalism are not identified as Trinitarians.

Another heresy that exist is arianism which teaches the Father as Almighty God alone with the Son as a lesser created god such is the case with the Jehovah Witnesses in which they have a lower demi god. They also claim the Holy Spirit is not a Person but God’s “active force.” This heresy came about by Arius of Alexandria and has been the biggest criticizer of the Trinitarian doctrine.

The Godhead has been always present in scripture, Christians has always believed since the beginning there’s one God, who exists as three co-equal, co-eternal and co-substantial divine persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And while we do not get our doctrine from the early church fathers we can certainly establish they also held to the Trinity doctrine from these few early quotes.

Origen: “If anyone would say that the Word of God or the Wisdom of God had a beginning, let him beware lest he direct his impiety rather against the unbegotten Father, since he denies that he was always Father, and that he has always begotten the Word, and that he always had wisdom in all previous times or ages or whatever can be imagined in priority . . . There can be no more ancient title of almighty God than that of Father, and it is through the Son that he is Father” (De Princ. 1.2.; PG 11.132).

“For if [the Holy Spirit were not eternally as He is, and had received knowledge at some time and then became the Holy Spirit] this were the case, the Holy Spirit would never be reckoned in the unity of the Trinity, i.e., along with the unchangeable Father and His Son, unless He had always been the Holy Spirit.” (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 4, p. 253, de Principiis, 1.111.4)

Ignatius of Antioch: “In Christ Jesus our Lord, by whom and with whom be glory and power to the Father with the Holy Spirit for ever” (n. 7; PG 5.988).
“We have also as a Physician the Lord our God Jesus the Christ the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin.  For ‘the Word was made flesh.’ Being incorporeal, He was in the body; being impassible, He was in a passable body; being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption, and heal them, and might restore them to health, when they were diseased with ungodliness and wicked lusts.” (Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds., The ante-Nicene Fathers, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975 rpt., Vol. 1, p. 52, Ephesians 7.)

Tertullian: “We define that there are two, the Father and the Son, and three with the Holy Spirit, and this number is made by the pattern of salvation . . . [which] brings about unity in trinity, interrelating the three, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  They are three, not in dignity, but in degree, not in substance but in form, not in power but in kind.  They are of one substance and power, because there is one God from whom these degrees, forms and kinds devolve in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” (Adv. Prax. 23; PL 2.156-7).

The Jehovah’s Witnesses, argue that the doctrine was “made up” during the time of the Council of Nicea (325).  This council was brought together by Emperor Constantine to deal with the heresy of Arianism which was threatening the Christian Church. The council defined what was already established in the Bible concerning the Godhead, the nicene council sought to defend against the attack on the Person and deity of Christ. Which is what arianism is all about and continues today with such cults as the Watchtower.

The truth of that observation can be verified by going to a library and examining books that support the Trinity. Countless pages have been written attempting to explain it. Yet, after struggling through the labyrinth of confusing theological terms and explanations, investigators still come away unsatisfied.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

What proof does the Watchtower have to substantiate such a claim? The Watchtower consistently misrepresents the biblical teaching of the Trinity, a organisation which makes the following statements.

“Isaiah was foretelling a dereliction of duty on the part of religious leaders. For instance, they do not teach Bible truth but teach their flocks unscriptural doctrines regarding eternal torment in a fiery hell, a trinity of three gods in one, and immortality of the soul—all of pagan origin. And the clergy have supported all the wars of their nations, even when it meant killing people of their own religion. This is in direct violation of God’s commandments.”

Awake 12/8/2098, p. 11 What Jesus Is Now

“The doctrine, in brief, is that there are three gods in one: ‘God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost,; all three equal in power, substance and eternity.” (Let God Be True, 1952, p. 100).

Christians never taught “three gods in one” this misunderstanding of the Watchtower is the basis why Jehovah Witnesses do not understand the Trinity; as they continually misrepresent the teaching.

In this regard, Jesuit Joseph Bracken observes in his book What Are They Saying About the Trinity?: “Priests who with considerable effort learned . . . the Trinity during their seminary years naturally hesitated to present it to their people from the pulpit, even on Trinity Sunday. . . . Why should one bore people with something that in the end they wouldn’t properly understand anyway?” He also says: “The Trinity is a matter of formal belief, but it has little or no [effect] in day to day Christian life and worship.” Yet, it is “the central doctrine” of the churches!

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

It’s clear that if individuals seek to approach the Trinity doctrine purely through a carnal mind it’s beyond their understanding. This statement only proves there are people who find the Trinity perplexing not that the teaching itself is hard to understand. It becomes more understood if you can make the distinction between “Being” and “Person”, the first refers to nature while the second refers to an individual.

Catholic theologian Hans Kung observes in his book Christianity and the World Religions that the Trinity is one reason why the churches have been unable to make any significant headway with non-Christian peoples. He states: “Even well-informed Muslims simply cannot follow, as the Jews thus far have likewise failed to grasp, the idea of the Trinity.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Just because Muslims cannot grasp the Trinity doctrine doesn’t make it not true, the same way Catholics have a hard time understanding faith alone in Christ alone is how an individual is saved. The children of Israel sinned multiple times, they didn’t understand the LORD’s ways, we are not to follow the Jews but Christ Jesus Himself. Christ said He is the Way (John 14:6) not the Jews. The book of Isaiah tells us that the Jews eyes are closed to the truth (Isaiah 6:10, Isaiah 44:18), but there’s coming a time in which God will open their eyes to the truth.

As for this portion of the statement “Even well-informed Muslims…” according to their own sources Muslims deny Jesus died on the cross, that He’s the Son of God, and the Trinity is “the Father, Son and Mary.” How can the Watchtower even begin to think Muslims are an authority on scripture, their own Quran and Hadiths are contradictory to the Word of God. We certainly cannot take Islam’s word for how we are to understand doctrine.

The distinctions made by the doctrine of the Trinity between one God and three hypostases do not satisfy Muslims, who are confused, rather than enlightened, by theological terms derived from Syriac, Greek, and Latin. Muslims find it all a word game. . . . Why should anyone want to add anything to the notion of God’s oneness and uniqueness that can only dilute or nullify that oneness and uniqueness?”

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

It’s strange that the Watchtower would appeal towards Islam as a source of authority. Groups like Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, Unitarians etc. Will over emphasise the “oneness” of God at the expense of the plurality in the Godhead. Witnesses will agree with the Christian on every point when it comes to God being 1, even though the Witnesses actually are not monotheist technically.

They are blinded by the fact that just as God the Father works, the Son also works (John 5:17). Anything the Father can do the Lord Jesus can do, this is a devastating passage for the Witnesses. Just as the Father raises the dead the Son does likewise (John 5:21). The Son of God gives eternal life (John 10:28), this can not be spoken of a mere angel; not even an archangel such as Michael can be spoken of giving eternal life. Eternal life can only come from God Himself and this is why while the word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible the doctrine is.

“Not a God of Confusion”

HOW could such a confusing doctrine originate? The Catholic Encyclopedia claims: “A dogma so mysterious presupposes a Divine revelation.” Catholic scholars Karl Rahner and Herbert V orgrimler state in their Theological Dictionary: “The Trinity is a mystery . . . in the strict sense … , which could not be known without revelation, and even after revelation cannot become wholly intelligible.”

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

The Watchtower loves to partially quote sources using dots and gaps in quotes to try to support their view, making it seem as if the other party is agreeing with their position, here’s the above quotes in their entirety.

“It is manifest that a dogma so mysterious presupposes a Divine revelation. When the fact of revelation, understood in its full sense as the speech of God to man, is no longer admitted, the rejection of the doctrine follows as a necessary consequence. For this reason it has no place in the Liberal Protestantism of today. The writers of this school contend that the doctrine of the Trinity, as professed by the Church, is not contained in the New Testament, but that it was first formulated in the second century and received final approbation in the fourth, as the result of the Arian and Macedonian controversies. In view of this assertion it is necessary to consider in some detail the evidence afforded by Holy Scripture. Attempts have been made recently to apply the more extreme theories of comparative religion to the doctrine of the Trinity, and to account for it by an imaginary law of nature compelling men to group the objects of their worship in threes. It seems needless to give more than a reference to these extravagant views, which serious thinkers of every school reject as destitute of foundation.”

Another use of the dots and gaps by Watchtower is in this statement by Karl Rahner and Herbert V orgrimler “The Trinity is a mystery . . . in the strict sense … , which could not be known without revelation, and even after revelation cannot become wholly intelligible.” That statement goes on to say: “Its import is as follows. (1) The one God exists in three “Persons” (Subsistence) which are the one divine Nature (the one divine essence, of divine substance) and therefore are equally eternal and almighty.”

However, contending that since the Trinity is such a confusing mystery, it must have come from divine revelation creates another major problem. Why? Because divine revelation itself does not allow for such a view of God: “God is not a God of confusion.”-1 Corinthians 14:33, Revised Standard Version (RS). In view of that statement, would God be responsible for a doctrine about himself that is so confusing that even Hebrew, Greek, and Latin scholars cannot really explain it?

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Deception at its finest by the Watchtower. The source by Rahner and Orgrimler clearly states that God did reveal the trinity doctrine in the scriptures. Even God Himself couldn’t be understood without revelation and even after cannot be fully known. The Jehovah’s Witnesses use deception to make an argument against this fact. The LORD created all from nothing, does the Watchtower understand how God did this? God did not disclose how exactly He created everything, does that mean He’s a God of confusion? Definitely not! How can the finite creature explain the infinite the nature of the Creator? God is omniscient, how can God be all-knowing? That’s only for God to know and not us.

Furthermore, do people have to be theologians ‘to know the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent’? (John 17:3, JB) If that were the case, why did so few of the educated Jewish religious leaders recognize Jesus as the Messiah? His faithful disciples were, instead, humble farmers, fishermen, tax collectors, housewives. Those common people were so certain of what Jesus taught about God that they could teach it to others and were even willing to die for their belief.- Matthew 15: 1-9; 21:23-32, 43; 23 :13-36; John 7:45-49; Acts 4:13.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

One must be born again to know the Father and Jesus Christ who sent into the world to save sinners. The Watchtower in the above statement is appealing to “knowledge” claiming the Pharisees who were educated didn’t recognise the Lord Jesus as the Messiah. Are Christians now to follow the Pharisees or Christ Himself? We do not get our doctrine from the Jewish religious leaders but from the risen Lord.

As the Bible says the Comforter who is the Holy Spirit, He will teach believers all things concerning Jesus Christ our Lord; He will testify about Christ and this is the only true way to know who God is.

John 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

Unfortunate for the Jehovah Witnesses who don’t believe in having the Holy Spirit, nor being born again. The Watchtower consistently goes against the teachings of Christ to their own detriment. If you’re an active Jehovah Witness leave the Watchtower and run to Jesus Christ for salvation, He’s the only salvation one can have.

Christadelphian “Doctrines to be Rejected” 3

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In the last two articles we’ve been examining the teachings of a small influential cult called the Christadelphians. The Christadelphians deny the personhood of the Holy Spirit and believe He’s not distinct from the Father. Let’s dive into this one and see if that’s what the Bible teaches? If you’ve missed the last post you can view it here: Christadelphians “Doctrines to be Rejected” 2

We reject the doctrine that the Holy Spirit is a person distinct from the Father.

Other non-Trinitarian cults agree with the Christadelphians on the personhood of the Holy Spirit, calling Him an “it” and would say the Holy Spirit is “God’s active force” sort of like an electrical current or invisible power.

In the word of God we can gather that the Holy Spirit possesses all the traits and attributes of Personhood, He has a will, a mind, He speaks; and feels just like you and I. If these are not the characteristics of a person then I’m not sure what is?

I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter

The Lord Jesus told His disciples that He must go away, if not then the Holy Spirit wouldn’t come. The Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the Lord Jesus and the Father (John 14:16), just the same as Christ was sent into the world also by the Father (John 10:36, John 3:17, John 17:18). Only a person could be sent into the world, not a force or idea. In this article it’s my task to present to you the Personhood of the Holy Spirit.

The wonderful truth is we can only fellowship with a person, therefore, how important is it to the believer to recognise the Personhood of the Holy Spirit? There are no disagreements as to the Father and the Son (Jesus Christ) being distinct persons, so is the One who lives in believers is a person as well.

He possesses all components of personhood as you and I. Non-Christian cults such as the Christadelphians would refer to the Holy Spirit as an “it.” Confusion from text such as Romans 8:16 reads “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit” this can cause some to think the Holy Spirit is an “it” instead of a person.

This difficulty comes with the English translation. Do not be mistaken Christ refers to the Holy Spirit multiple times as being a “He.” In John chapters 14-16 the Holy Spirit is referenced as “He”, “Him.”

John 14:17 [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 15:26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, [even] the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:

John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Note these 3 scriptures of many shows forth the characteristics of a person. The Lord Jesus says in John 14:17 the Holy Spirit is called “Him” and we can “know Him” but the world “cannot receive or see Him”, but believers can because “He” will dwell in us.

Christ continues in John 15:26 saying “when the Comforter is come” only a person can “come” only a person can “send” another person. And the verse says the Holy Spirit will “testify of me” that’s of Christ Jesus. Then in John 16:13 “the Spirit of truth” is called “He” and will “guide” believers into all truth. He “speaks” and “hears” lastly He will show believers things to come. Look at all the personal pronouns just in 3 verses.

The Holy Spirit also possesses all the categories of personality that is intelligence, emotion and will. 3 more scriptures which come to mind in regards to these categories are:

Intelligence gives a person the ability to think, know and understand things. This is shown in the book of Romans chapter 8 in which apostle Paul explains to believers the Spirit has a mind of His own “the mind of the Spirit” (Romans 8:27). The verse before tells is the Spirit “maketh intercession” (Romans 8:26) for believers only a person who has consciousness can perform such an act.

Romans 8:26-27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.

Emotion is the capacity to feel whether those feelings are sadness, joy or anger; these are only displayed from a person. We find in the book of Ephesians the Holy Spirit can be grieved. The definition of “grieved” is (1) to cause to suffer distress (2) to feel or show grief over (3) to submit a formal grievance concerning. Believers are told “grieve not the Holy Spirit” or don’t cause distress to the Holy Spirit.

The biblical definition of grieve:
λυπέω lypéō, loo-peh’-o; from G3077; to distress; reflexively or passively, to be sad:—cause grief, grieve, be in heaviness, (be) sorrow(-ful), be (make) sorry.

Outline of Biblical Usage
I. to make sorrowful
II. to affect with sadness, cause grief, to throw into sorrow
III. to grieve, offend
IV. to make one uneasy, cause him a scruple

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

How can an impersonal force be caused grief or sorrow? It can’t, it’s just not possible for electricity or wind to be grieved or have emotions. The Christadelphians like other cults that deny the Trinity fail to understand the Personhood of the Holy Spirit. We agree the Father and Son are persons but when it comes to the Holy Spirit they fail to see these scriptural truths.

Will is the ability to make choices, in the book of Acts we’re given insight as the Holy Spirit gave direction to Paul and Barnabas asking for them to separate which was accompanied with speech.

Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

It’s simple to see the Holy Spirit possesses the same characteristics of personhood we do (intellegence, emotion, will), the Holy Spirit is called “He” and “Him” and is able to think, feel and make decisions. If this doesn’t constitute Personhood then what does? In our future article we’ll answer the question does man have an immortal soul.

Should You Believe in the Trinity? (1/9)

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Hello it’s been a little while since our last post. We will be doing a series, examining the Brochure from the Watchtower called “Should you believe in the Trinity?” The Jehovah Witnesses are but a few groups who deny the doctrine of the Godhead/Trinity and call it satanic. It’s our endeavour to search out and see if the Trinity doctrine holds up to scrutiny or crumbles under critical observation.

1. Should You Believe It?

DO YOU believe in the Trinity? Most people in Christendom do. After all, it has been the central doctrine of the churches for centuries. In view of this, you would think that there could be no question about it. But there is, and lately even some of its supporters have added fuel to the controversy. Why should a subject like this be of any more than passing interest? Because Jesus himself said: “Eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” So our entire future hinges on our knowing the true nature of God, and that means getting to the root of the Trinity controversy. Therefore, why not examine it for yourself?—John 17:3, Catholic Jerusalem Bible (JB).

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Often Jehovah Witnesses cite verses such as John 17:3 as a “proof text” is teaching against the Godhead/Trinity but they seem to miss the context of the verse. It’s perhaps the most intimate chapter of the Bible, we get to listen in on the Lord’s High priestly prayer.

John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

The Lord Jesus is moments away from being taken captive to be brought before Pontius Pilate and later crucified. He [Jesus Christ] lifted up his eyes to heaven and spoke of the intimate fellowship the Son has with the Father and that believers also will enjoy.

Christ says “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” the JW immediately would say see Jesus calls the Father the only true God. They place emphasis on the Father being God alone, but they never look at the verse in its entirety. The text says the Father and the Son are the one God.

The Bible doesn’t only call the Father God it also ascribes this to the Son Jesus Christ as well. 1 John has a similar text which is speaking only of the Lord Jesus and it says:

1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, [even] in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

Why don’t Jehovah Witnesses take this verse in 1 John 5:20 in context with John 17:3? The Watchtower teaches them Jesus is not God Almighty and practice Arianism a heresy the early church condemned.

Various Trinitarian concepts exist. But generally the Trinity teaching is that in the Godhead there are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; yet, together they are but one God. The doctrine says that the three are coequal, almighty, and uncreated, having existed eternally in the Godhead.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

The Jehovah Witnesses understanding of the Trinity is wrong, when they say they don’t believe in the Trinity they are attacking the teaching of modalism. Christians have never taught modalism to be the doctrinal teaching of the Godhead.

Notice they start by saying “Various Trinitarian concepts exist” this is not true for there is only one true doctrine of the Trinity which Trinitarians believe. Which is we believe there is one God, who exists as three co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial divine persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Each one of the persons in the Godhead share the same nature which is the one nature of God. We do not believe in 3 separate gods, neither do we believe the Father at one time changed into the Son and the Son changed into the Holy Spirit.

This is not what Trinitarians believe. Trinitarians believe all 3 persons of the Godhead exist at the same time in perfect fellowship before all creation even began. We find this wonderful truth in the very beginning of our Bible.

Genesis 1:1-2 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

Elohim or God is a plural word the text also mentions the Spirit of God that’s the Holy Spirit. There are many passages in the Old Testament that teaches the doctrine of the Trinity, it’s just more plainly seen in the New Testament.

אֱלֹהִיםʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem’; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:—angels, exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), (very) great, judges, mighty.

Outline of Biblical Usage

  1. (plural)
    1. rulers, judges
    2. divine ones
    3. angels
    4. gods
  2. (plural intensive – singular meaning)
    1. god, goddess
    2. godlike one
    3. works or special possessions of God
    4. the (true) God
    5. God

Others, however, say that the Trinity doctrine is false, that Almighty God stands alone as a separate, eternal, and all-powerful being. They say that Jesus in his prehuman existence was, like the angels, a separate spirit person created by God, and for this reason he must have had a beginning. They teach that Jesus has never been Almighty God’s equal in any sense; he has always been subject to God and still is. They also believe that the holy ghost is not a person but God’s spirit, his active force.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

In speaking of the Almighty God the book of Revelation informs us on this matter.

Revelation 1:7-8 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

As we examine the verses it say “Behold, he cometh with clouds” is the Father the one coming in the clouds? Reading on it also says “every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him” every eye will see Him, are they going to see the Father? The Bible says the Father dwells in light which no man can approach. The one who’s coming was pierced, was the Father or the Son pierced? By asking these simple questions we see it can’t be speaking of the Father in Revelation 1:7-8.

The same person in Revelation 1:7-8 speaks saying “Amen. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” We see here this individual calls Himself the Almighty, but not only that He says “which is to come” who’s coming if it’s not the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom [be] honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Supporters of the Trinity say that it is founded not only on religious tradition but also on the Bible. Critics of the doctrine say that it is not a Bible teaching, one history source even declaring: “The origin of the [Trinity] is entirely pagan.”—The Paganism in Our Christianity.

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

The above quote is very misleading, first it was taken by Arthur Weigall and his book called “paganism in our christianity.” Arthur is a modernist and doesn’t believe the Bible is God’s word, in his book not only does he speak against Christianity but he also speaks against the Watchtower calling their own beliefs “Angel-Christology.”

The Watchtower uses strawman arguments in their attack against the Trinity trying to assert something Christians do not believe in the first place. Christians believe in only 1 God, we don’t believe in 3 gods as Watchtower claims. Trinitarianism is monotheistic because the doctrine teaches there’s only 1 God and within the 1 God exist 3 co-eternal co-equal Person’s the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. The 3 distinct Persons are all fully God and share the one nature of God.

Jehovah Witnesses are actually not monotheist because they believe in Jehovah and reduce Jesus Christ to a lesser “godlike” angel or “a god.” This means they are actually polytheistic in their belief, more specifically Henotheism.

Henotheism is the belief of one particular God in this case “Jehovah” out of several others namely Jesus (a god) and many others. Watchtower teaches there are others who also can be called god even though they are not Jehovah God they get this from 1 Corinthians 8:5 by pulling the text out of context saying Paul the apostle taught there are many legitimate gods. This of course is not the meaning of that particular text. By reading the surrounding text we can get the true context of that verse.

1 Corinthians 8:4-6 As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol [is] nothing in the world, and that [there is] none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us [there is but] one God, the Father, of whom [are] all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom [are] all things, and we by him.

Paul was addressing the believers in Corinth that any other “god” is actual not god at all but an idol and therefore it’s nothing. When the Jehovah Witnesses claim Jesus is not God but “a god” they are placing Jesus in the category of a false God. Christians never would agree to this because we believe Christ Jesus is the Almighty God along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. All 3 Persons of the Godhead are the 1 Almighty God.

Lastly, the doctrine of the Trinity/Godhead didn’t derive from pagan triads of deities. It was formulated by Christians strictly on the basis of the teachings of God’s word. The Watchtower points to Babylonian religion which was polytheistic and makes the statement that the Trinity came from such. This is of course not so, the Babylonians believed in not just 3 separate gods but a plethora of gods. Christians don’t believe in a multitude of gods we only worship 1 God.

If the Trinity is true, it is degrading to Jesus to say that he was never equal to God as part of a Godhead. But if the Trinity is false, it is degrading to Almighty God to call anyone his equal, and even worse to call Mary the “Mother of God.” If the Trinity is false, it dishonors God to say, as noted in the book Catholicism: “Unless [people] keep this Faith whole and undefiled, without doubt [they] shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this: we worship one God in Trinity

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

Watchtower claims it’s “degrading to Jesus” to say He was never equal to God if the Trinity is true? Christians have always believed the Lord Jesus Christ is equal to the Father because they share the same nature. The watchtower argument against the deity of Christ is that Jesus is not Jehovah but “a god.” If the Father alone is Jehovah (the true God) then what does that make Jesus if He’s not Almighty God?

Is Jesus Christ a true God or a false god? There are no other choices either Christ is the True God just as His Father is also the True God, or Jesus is an additional god who is not truly God. This brings a big problem for the Jehovah Witness theology, when they started teaching Jesus was a created being it made them have 2 God’s.

Watchtower’s teaching of Jesus is merely a created creature as opposed to being God Almighty is degrading to Jesus Christ to demote Him to an angel or “godlike one” is completely heretical on their part. The Bible tells us that the Son should receive the same honour the Father receives.

John 5:23 That all [men] should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Does the Watchtower honour the Son even as the Father is honoured? According to them the Father (Jehovah) alone is to be worshipped. Yet we have abundant proof that Christ was worshipped in the scriptures.

There are good reasons, then, why you should want to know the truth about the Trinity. But before examining its origin and its claim of truthfulness, it would be helpful to define this doctrine more specifically. What, exactly, is the Trinity? How do supporters of it explain it?

Should You Believe in the Trinity?

The Watchtower consistently misrepresents the doctrine of the Trinity, they assume Christians believe the Father and Jesus Christ are the same Person. This statement couldn’t be farther from the truth, Christians have consistently believed there is only 1 God and that 1 God consist of 3 distinct Persons. Each Person of the Godhead are fully and equally God because all 3 share the same nature.

Christians reject the notion of 3 separate gods, we are not tritheist, we affirm Deuteronomy 6:4 but can’t over look the distinction between the 3 Persons of the Godhead laid out in the scriptures. If you want to know more about The Doctrine of the Trinity feel free to read our past article. Moving forward we’ll continue to examine the Watchtower’s “Should You Believe in the Trinity?”

The Doctrine of the Trinity

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trinity-1

Introduction

Those who don’t hold to the Trinity (Godhead) doctrine will quickly state the word Trinity as not being in the Bible. It’s true the word Trinity is not found in our Bibles, but just because it’s not mentioned does it mean it’s not true?

What’s the doctrine of the Trinity? The Lord Jesus and the apostles taught this. The early Christians believed in one God who’s revealed Himself as three distinct persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

How can God be three distinct persons? To answer this question it’s always best to dive into the scriptures and see what the word of God says. It doesn’t matter what I say or anyone else, it’s what God says that matters. Before we get into the scriptures let’s establish what is the Trinitarian beliefs. And let’s look at another view which opposes it, let’s begin.

Trinitarian Definition

The Christian doctrine of the Trinity holds that God is one God, but three coeternal persons the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit as “one God in three Divine Persons”. The three Persons are distinct, yet are one in substance, essence or nature. In this context, a “nature” is what one is, a “person” is who one is.

The concept of the Trinity is that there’s no way to perfectly and completely understand it. It’s impossible for any human being to fully comprehend. As God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we cannot expect to be able to fully grasp the totality of God.

The doctrine of the Trinity doesn’t come from a council or creed as some believe it came from the council of Nicea, on the contrary, the understanding of the Trinity is embedded in the word of God. The council of Nicea’s main focus was to deal with the heresy of Arianism.

Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:”

1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.”

Sabellianism

Sabellianism is the belief that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different modes of God, as opposed to a Trinitarian view of three distinct persons within the Godhead.

Sabellius taught the oneness of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three different manifestations of one divine person. An easy way to understand the thought behind Sabellianism is to imagine a person having three different masks. And switching between those mask as needed.

The early church excommunicated Sabellius and cast him out of the church as a heretic. Sabellianism while heretical still exist among certain groups which operate today in our age.

Groups who deny the Trinity

Here are some groups who deny the nature of the triune God, Unitarians, Jehovah Witnesses, Armstrongites, Mormons, Buddhist, Hindus, Moslems and Jews are just some of those who deny the distinction of persons within the Godhead.

God in 3 distinct persons (Old Testament)

The word for God in Hebrew is ‘elohiym a plural word.

Stong’s definition (God) אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym, el-o-heem’; plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God.

The opening verse in the Old Testament (Torah) already has a distinction of persons

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

Before the creation, God always existed as the Almighty Creator of all things.

Immediately following in verse 2 we see the Spirit of God’s involvement in the act of creation.

Genesis 1:2 “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

God then after creating light Day, darkness Night, Earth, Seas, tree yielding seeds and animals of the air land and waters, He then creates man in His own image.

Genesis 1:26 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”

It’s clear that the word “us” speaks to a plurality of person’s in the Godhead.

Biblical usage of the words “Let us make” means “to do, fashion, accomplish, make”. Qal=to do, work, make, produce or Niphal=to be done.

Another time we see this plurality in the Old Testament is during the tower of Babel.

Genesis 11:7 “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

In the book of Isaiah God is speaking and ask who will go for us?

Isaiah 6:8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

God then sent the prophet Isaiah to the cities to preach against the nation telling them of their sin.

We also have in the book of Daniel a vision of the Son of man riding on the clouds of heaven coming to the Father the ancient of days.

Daniel 7:13 “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.”

There’s too much evidence to cover everything but as you see the Old Testament does, in fact, show a plurality in the Godhead and as we move into the New Testament we have a full revelation of the distinct persons in the Godhead.

God in 3 distinct persons (New Testament)

John’s gospel begins with the classic opening verse speaking of the beginning before all of creation began.

John 1:1–3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

A proof text regarding the Lord Jesus as the eternal Word and God. The below definitions will give more insight into what the Greek states in the original language.

Beginning ἀρχή archḗ, ar-khay’; from G756; (properly abstract) a commencement, or (concretely) chief (in various applications of order, time, place, or rank): — beginning, corner, (at the, the) first (estate), magistrate, power, principality, principle, rule.

With πρός prós, pros; a strengthened form of G4253; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e. pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of, i.e. near to; usually with the accusative case, the place, time, occasion, or respect, which is the destination of the relation, i.e. whither or for which it is predicated): — about, according to , against, among, at, because of, before, between, (where-)by, for, at thy house, in, for intent, nigh unto, of, which pertain to, that, to (the end that), together, to (you) -ward, unto, with(-in). In the comparative case, it denotes essentially the same applications, namely, motion towards, accession to, or nearness at.

In the book of Matthew, we have a commandment given by the Lord Jesus in which He gave for baptism.

Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”

The construction of grammar in this verse requires us to acknowledge the distinction of persons using Granville Sharp’s rule.

Statement of the rule

“The following rule by Granville Sharp of a century back still proves to be true: `When the copulative KAI connects two nouns of the same case, if the article HO or any of its cases precedes the first of the said nouns or participles, and is not repeated before the second noun or participle, the latter always relates to the same person that is expressed or described by the first noun or participle; i.e., it denotes a further description of the first-named person.’” (A Manual Of The Greek New Testament, Dana & Mantey, p. 147)

Matthew 28:19 Go ye G4198 therefore, G3767 and teach G3100 all G3956 nations, G1484 baptizing G907 them G846 in G1519 the name G3686 of the Father, G3962 and G2532 of the Son, G5207 and G2532 of the Holy G40 Ghost: G4151

John 8:58 “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Holy Ghost

Is a person and God according to the text. He speaks, only a person can speak not an active force as Jehovah Witnesses believe. Additionally, you can only lie to a person, not a force as we see in the following verse.

 Acts 5:3, 4 “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.”

Acts 13:2 “As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.”

Acts 21:11 “And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”

Hebrews 3:7–11 “Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways. So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.)” 

The Father, The Lord Jesus and The Holy Spirit

In John’s gospel, we have one of the most intimate chapters when Jesus Christ is telling His disciples He must go in order for the Comforter to be sent from the Father and Himself. The verse here shows a clear distinction of persons, the Comforter being sent from the Father and Son and calls the Comforter “he”.

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

The following chapter Christ calls the Comforter “him”.

John 16:7, 8 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:”

As you can see a force cannot be called “him” or “he”.

God the Father calls the Son God

The scriptures in Hebrew shows a dialogue between the Father and Son before the incarnation or virgin birth.

Hebrews 1:5–10 “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:” 

If God calls the Son God then we must do the same, anyone who doesn’t honour the Son doesn’t honour the Father.

John 5:23 “That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.”

One of the greatest promises which speak of the imminent return of Christ is found in John chapter 14. Speaking to His disciples told them He would return for all believers but first He was going back to His Father to prepare a place for us in Heaven.

John 14:1–3 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

God is called the first and the last in the Old Testament (Isaiah 41:4, 44:6, 48:12). The Lord Jesus Christ is also called the first and the last in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

Revelation 1:11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.”

Revelation 21:6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”

Revelation 22:13 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

But the best portion of these verses in Revelation is this wonderful truth here.

Revelation 22:16 “I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.”

He identifies Himself as “I Jesus”. O worship Him all ye His saints!!!

John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”

Conclusion

Heresies such as Arianism, Oneness, Modalism, Polytheism or Monarchianism and any other belief which rejects any part of foundational biblical doctrine will not stand, there will be contradictions. Those who believe in the Trinity doctrine can stand firm because we can both prove the Oneness of God and the Triune Godhead of the distinction of persons in the Godhead.

Example a person taking the Oneness position has a contradiction when asked if Jesus is both the Father and Holy Spirit then who was He praying to in the garden of Gethsemane? This is not a problem for the Trinity position because Jesus was praying to God the Father, not Himself.

The Lord Jesus Christ is God, just as the Father is God and the Holy Spirit is God. All 3 distinct person’s of the Godhead, all equally God, all share the same divine nature.

If you haven’t trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, to be saved from your sins now’s the time. I’ll leave you with this verse from Paul.

1 Corinthians 15:3, 4 “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”