Part 01 – The Trinity Doctrine
Part 02 – Who is the Most High God?
Part 03 – Who and what is Jesus?
Part 04 – The true meaning of ‘God’
Part 05 – Supporting the Trinity
Part 06 – Pre-Nicene writings
Part 07 – Development of the Trinity
Part 08 – Why challenge the Trinity
Part 09 – Trinity Doctrine conclusion
Part 10 – An Apostasy
Part 11 – 100 indisputable proof verses
Part 12 – What is your confession?
Part 13 – The Roman Catholic faith
Part 14 – Trinity Doctrine resources
Have you ever been confused by the following scriptures
1 John 4:12 (English-NIV)
No one has ever seen God; ….
1 Timothy 1:17 (English-NIV)
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.
Amen.
1 Timothy 6:15-16 (English-NIV)
15 which God will bring about in his own time, God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
This appears to contradict the Trinity Doctrine because these scriptures say that God is invisible, yet we know that Jesus is a visible being. What does it mean that no one has seen God? How can God be invisible and yet Jesus visible? Well the answer is that these scriptures are not talking about Jesus at all, rather the Father as the following scriptures will confirm.
John 6:46 (English-NIV)
No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father.
John 1:18 (English-KJV)
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 5:37 (English-NIV)
And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me.
You have never heard his voice nor seen his form.
It is obvious that no one can see God according to scripture, and it is also scriptural and self-evident that Jesus is a visible being. We have a contradiction if we believe that Jesus is God. Because Jesus is a visible being, then according to scripture, he cannot be God.
There is one God and it is the Father
This next scripture is one of the most ignored verses in the Bible, because it directly contradicts the Trinity Doctrine.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (English-NIV)
5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
This scripture plainly points out that for us (believers) there is only one God the Father and Jesus is our only Lord.
You cannot make this scripture say anything else without misquoting it. It is very straight forward and to the point. The amazing thing about this scripture is the fact that it is not the result of a difficult translation and neither is this scripture isolated. The Bible is full of scriptures that teach us that the Father is the only one true God.
James 2:19 (English-NIV)
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder.
John 17:3 (English-NIV)
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
The above verse is so clear that you cannot understand it any other way. It tells us that Jesus is not the only true God, rather that the only true God is the Father and that this ONLY true God sent Jesus into the world. If we try to change the meaning of this scripture to fit any other predefined doctrine, then all we are doing is twisting this scripture to our own end. Now notice how John said that this truth is eternal life. Surely this means that we have to take this with the utmost respect and to intentionally ignore this or twist it would surely have serious consequences.
Paul wants us to realise something important
1 Corinthians 11:3 (English-NIV)
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Do you truly realise that the Head of Christ is God? This scripture appears to teach a completely different structure or pattern to what the Trinity does. The word head in the Greek is the word “kephale” which literally means ‘from’, ‘source’ or ‘position of authority’. If God were a Trinity, how do we explain that the head of Christ is God. We know that Jesus is the Christ, but so far the scriptures seem to say that God is the head of all, even Jesus. Can the Father really be the only one who is God and is he also above Christ, rather than being co-equal?
1 Corinthians 3:22-23 (English-NIV)
22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas {That is, Peter} or the world or life or death or the present or the future all are yours,
23 and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God…
Ephesians 4:4-6 (English-NIV)
4 there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
The scripture above shows us plainly that there is One Lord who we know to be Jesus and there is one God and Father of all. It is clear so far that the Father is the one true God and he is the God and source of all.
The Trinity Doctrine teaches that God manifests himself as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are co-equal and co-eternal and all are God. But the scriptures above teach us that it is the Father who is God. The next scripture reaffirms this and shows us that the Father is greater than the Son. Instead of thinking about a circle divided into 3 parts that is often depicted as the Trinity, think about what the following scripture is trying to convey:
John 15:1-2 (English-NIV)
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.
Clearly, God is the gardener, Jesus is the vine, and we are the branches. This example shows us a number of things. First, we need Jesus because a branch detached from the vine cannot survive but will wither and die. Next we see that the vine Jesus is tended to by the Father and like any gardener, he is greater than the vine he tends. Instead of a circle divided into 3 equal parts, what we see here is God, Jesus, and us at different levels with a monumental step between each level. Remember this is what Jesus taught us and all scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Did you know that Jesus has a God, just like we do?
John 20:17 (English-NIV)
Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them,
`I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
Romans 15:6 (English-NIV)
so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 1:3 (English-NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
2 Corinthians 11:31 (English-NIV)
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying.
Ephesians 1:3 (English-NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
Colossians 1:3 (English-NIV)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1 Peter 1:3 (English-NIV)
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
These scripture clearly teach that our God is the Father and the Father is also God to Jesus himself.
Ephesians 1:17 (English-NIV)
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.
The above verse confirms that the Father is the God of Jesus. But some use this verse to support the Trinity Doctrine because God, Jesus, and the Spirit are mentioned. The problem with that is two-fold. It clearly differentiates God from Jesus and that this God is the Father of Jesus. What this verse is really saying is that we can know this Glorious Father who is the God of Jesus, through the spirit of wisdom and revelation. It takes a huge stretch of the truth to say that this verse is teaching the Trinity Doctrine. It absolutely does not in any way reinforce that the Father, Son, Spirit are 3 persons that have co-existed for eternity and are co-equal and make up one God. To say that it does is clearly misrepresenting this scripture. Just because God, Jesus, and the Spirit are mentioned here in no way reinforces that this God is triune.
Why verses with ‘God, Jesus, and the Spirit’ do not prove the Trinity Doctrine?
Here are some more scriptures that mentions God, Son, and Spirit:
- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 mentions the Spirit, Lord, and God;
- 2 Corinthians 13:14 lists Christ, God, and the Holy Ghost [Spirit];
- Galatians 4:4-6 lists God, Son, and Spirit of his Son;
- Ephesians 4:4-6 lists Spirit, Lord and, God; &
- 1 Peter 1:2 lists God, Spirit, and Jesus Christ.
First thing to note is that they do not say, ‘Father, Son, Spirit’. Instead of the Father it says God which many hold as the Trinity. Thus what are often used as proof verses actually are proof that they are not Trinity verses at all because God is clearly distinct from the son. And even if we were to accept such verses as proof of the Trinity Doctrine, then maybe we should be led to believe that Peter, James, and John are a Trinity too, because they are listed together in a similar fashion, (see Luke 9:28.) Also, 1 Timothy 5:21 says: “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels”, does this make angels part of a Trinity too? People think such verses teach the Trinity because their mind is already saturated by Trinity thought, so when they see God, Son, Spirit, they see the Trinity without thinking that God is obviously the Father in these verses.
It is hard to see what the scriptures are saying when we have been tainted with preconceived ideas. A common reaction to all the scriptures we have looked at so far is to simply ignore them and start defending the Trinity Doctrine with other scriptures that seem to teach it, while completely ignoring these scriptures. It should be obvious to all believers however that truth doesn’t conflict with any scripture if scripture is true. So is it not better to accept and face all scripture, not just the ones that seem to backup what we believe. If we only want to hear what we want to hear and ignore, then we are unfortunately fulfilling the following scripture:
2 Timothy 4:3 (English-NIV)
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
Many people explain away the scriptures that show Jesus Christ to being a different person to God, by arguing that these particular scriptures are all referring to the fact that Jesus emptied himself and humbled himself as a man. They reason that these scriptures are not valid when talking about the exalted Jesus who resides in Heaven but only to the humbled Jesus who came to Earth as a man. Is this assumption true? Can we really explain these scriptures as being true only when Jesus was a man, but not true to Jesus in Heaven? The answer will come next, but before we move on, I just want to repeat, that scripture says that the man Jesus has/had a God and that God is the same God as our God and that God is the Father.
Does scripture continue to teach that Jesus has a God even after he was exalted and glorified?
Let’s start with the Book of Revelation. This book was of course written after Jesus came to Earth and the revelation itself was given by Jesus while he was in Heaven and in heavenly glory. In this book, we see that Jesus still has a God. I should also point out that this book is so important that that there is a warning for all those that would try to add or take away from this book.
Revelation 22:18-19
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book.
19 And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
What does this mean. It means that if you say that the glorified Jesus doesn’t have the same God as us, then you are taking away from these words. If you say that it teaches that he is the God as mentioned in the Book of Revelation, then you are adding to the words. If you say that Jesus only called the Father as God, while Jesus was a man, then you are calling the Book of Revelation a lie.
In Heaven, Jesus continues to have a God and this God is the Father
Revelation 1:1 (English-NIV)
The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place.
He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
Revelation 1:6 (English-NIV)
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.
Revelation 3:12 (English-NIV)
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God.
Never again will he leave it.
I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
As mentioned before, these scriptures were written many years after Jesus death and are of course are valid today because Jesus is still Heaven interceding to God for us. We cannot say that Jesus is God because the exalted and glorified Jesus in Heaven still has a God and the same God as when he walked the streets of Israel as a man. That God is exclusively the Father and no other.
So far we have determined in a number of ways that Jesus is not God only the Father is. And we have determined that Jesus is the Lord and we know that it was God that made Jesus Lord according to scripture.
Is there a scripture that clearly states that Jesus cannot be God
Well we have already read many of them. For example, “This is eternal life that you may know the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. But we are going to look at a scripture that shows even more clearly that Jesus is not God.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28 (English-NIV)
24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27 For he has put everything under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.
28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
The above confirms the identity of God as exclusively the Father and reveals the plan of God which is that God may be in all. It clearly teaches that God will put all things under Jesus, and when that is accomplished, Jesus will give it all back to God so that all (including Jesus) will be subject to God. While this reveals the plan of God to us, many do not see that it is also a verse that disproves that Jesus is God. So really you have a choice.
Do you believe that Jesus is God or Jesus is of God?
John 16:27 (English-NIV)
No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God.
John 3:16 (English-NIV)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
It is obvious that the bible teaches that Jesus came from God. In fact it teaches that he is the only begotten (monogenes), which means ‘only child, single of its kind’. We can see that God gave his only Son, so that those that believe in him will have eternal life.
Remember earlier we read 1 Corinthians 11:3 (English-NIV)
Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God.
Certainly Jesus is of God. Jesus came from God. Jesus is said to be like God. He is the visible image of the invisible God.
Unlike God who is invisible, Jesus is a visible being with a visible body
Revelation 1:13-15 (English-NIV)
13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.
14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.
15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.
A visible Jesus is described in some detail in this verse. Yet there are a number of scriptures that testify that God is invisible as quoted at the top of this page with one of those verses below:
John 1:18 (English-KJV)
No man hath seen God at any time, the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
So instead of believing that Jesus is God and that God is invisible, we should in truth believe the following:
Jesus is the image of the invisible God
So if Jesus is the image of God, then that is further proof that Jesus is not God. God is the original and an image is not an original source but a reflection. And just as man was created in the image of God, we too cannot be God is we are an image.
Many people ignore scripture or change the truth into a lie. One reason for this can be a lack of care for the things of God. Another is pride. What has been shown in this teaching is more than a teaching and even more than a doctrine. It is in fact the very essence of what the scripture is about, i.e., to declare and reveal God to man.
If you are still not convinced, then try this simple test which us absolute proof that the God in the bible is not a Trinity. Read some of these following scriptures at random as I do not expect you to read them all. This is by no means an exhaustive list, rather the tip of the iceberg because there are hundreds of verses I could quote here.
Try this simple exercise to prove that the Trinity is not a biblical doctrine
Replace the word ‘God’ with ‘Trinity’ and watch as each verse is systematically rendered untrue when God is understood as a Trinity.
e.g., .Acts 2:33 (English-NIV)
Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear, would read
‘Exhalted to the right hand of the Trinity, he has’…
As you can plainly see, it makes no sense whatsoever. Continue on with a random selection of the scriptures below:
Acts 3:15 (English-NIV)
You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
You killed the author of life, but The Trinity raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.
1Corinthians 1:3 (English-NIV)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace from The Trinity our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2Corinthians 1:2-3
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
2 Grace be to you and peace from The Trinity our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be The Trinity, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the The Trinity of all comfort;
2 Corinthians 13:14
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of The Trinity, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Ephesians 1:2 (English-NIV)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to you from The Trinity our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 6:23 (English-NIV)
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peace to the brothers, and love with faith from The Trinity the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 1:2 (English-NIV)
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace to you from The Trinity our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 4:19-20 (English-NIV)
19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20 To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
19 And my Trinity will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20 To our Trinity and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Colossians 1:2-3 (English-NIV)
2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
2 To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from The Trinity our Father.
3 We always thank The Trinity, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
1 Thessalonians 1:1 (English-NIV)
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in The Trinity the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace and peace to you.
2 Thessalonians 1:1-2 (English-NIV)
1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in The Trinity our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace to you from The Trinity the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Timothy 1:2 (English-NIV)
To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from The Trinity the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Titus 1:4 (English-NIV)
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from The Trinity the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.
Philemon 1:3 (English-NIV)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace to you and peace from The Trinity our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 John 1:3 (English-NIV)
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Grace, mercy and peace from The Trinity the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Father’s Son, will be with us in truth and love.
Jude 1:1 (English-KJV)
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who have been called, who are loved by The Trinity the Father and kept by Jesus Christ:
If you are able to judge fairly you have to admit that the God spoken of in the bible is not a Trinity and it is really referring to the Father. The word Trinity was introduced centuries after Christ. Although the lack of certain words in the bible doesn’t necessarily nullify the meaning of those words, rather it is the scriptures themselves that demonstrate that God is not a Trinity. Certainly, if a word or term is not found in the bible then we need to prove that the word or term is supported indirectly by scripture and in this case, the Trinity is not supported.
How could this doctrine be wrong if so many believe it?
If it is not taught in scripture, then how is it even possible that probably most Christians believe it and how can most denominations have it as their foundational doctrine? After all if the Trinity Doctrine were not true, then the only conclusion is that mass deception has taken place. Be not surprised, because this has happened before. One such time sparked the Reformation which re-establish some truths back to the Church. Before the Reformation some obvious and simple truths that we take or granted today were hidden from us. One truth that was hidden was salvation being a free gift of God and instead Christians were taught that it came from works and adhering to the doctrines and creeds of the Roman Catholic Church. Another example of mass deception is the Theory of Evolution. Although not a doctrine that has been forced or believed by many Christians, Evolution too is a powerful deception, but is primarily aimed at Atheists. Porbalby over one billion Catholics today believe that Mary is the mother of God despite not being taught in scripture. The Trinity is also a sacred to Catholics, but it doesn’t matter how sacred or taboo a doctrine is, it still could be wrong and therefore needs to be tested. If we ultimately seek truth, then we will avoid these deceptions given enough time, but if we think it is bad to question, then we will never seek and therefore we open ourselves up to deception and make it difficult for God to renew and change us.
Jesus said in Luke 11:9 (English-NIV)
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.
Jesus and Paul warned us about deceptions that will come in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
2 Corinthians 11:3 (English-NIV)
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
Jesus warned us to watch out for deceivers. In Acts 20:29 (English-NIV):
29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
Jesus also warned us that offenses will come in Matthew 18:7 (English-KJV)
Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh!
However, there is a deeper reason as how this doctrine took hold and became a mass deception. This will be explained more fully in Part 07 of this writing, (Development of the Trinity Doctrine).
Perhaps it is time for another reformation. Perhaps it is time for a redefinition. Surely we must always be led by the Spirit of God. The scriptures tell us that Jesus is coming back for a Church without spot and blemish.Ephesians 5:25-27
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her
26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
On the way to perfection there will be a lot of things that we Christians will need to let go of. Surely the teachings of men will eventually be exposed for what they are and when the light gets brighter and the Morning Star arises in our hearts, there will be no room for carnal thinking. It will surely be a miracle when God purifies the Church of all the traditions and lies we have collected over the centuries. This task may seem impossible, but when we realize that God’s motivation is love and that he is eternal, it certainly puts our mistakes and limitations into perspective. Remember that every day is as a thousand years to God and a thousand years as one day.
Proclaimer.
