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The following are questions
with answers taken from various Wikipedia articles. This is
to highlight some relevant points on the subject—"Scriptural
Basis Of The Trinity Doctrine"—which people should
understand before continuing the bible study. The answers
are excerpt taken from the full articles written on the
subject. You can readily study the full articles written on
the subject by clicking on the source link after each
answer.
Note: The answers to the following religious questions
are taken from various Wikipedia articles due to their
neutral point of view principle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view
However, it is still highly recommend that you search the
internet for more information on the subject.
___________
From the
preceding lessons,
we've learned that the
the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible does not contain the
doctrine of the Trinity. (Lesson-2C.2) And that
the New Testament does not use
the word Trinity nor explicitly teach it. (Lesson-2C.3)
The doctrine is not explicitly stated in the New Testament
because "no New Testament writer" ever expounded on the relationship
among the three (the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) in
the detail (Lesson-3C.4). But Trinitarians
claim that the Bible provides the material upon which the
doctrine of the Trinity is based. Let us continue to study this popular
belief so we may come to know the truth behind it.
Verses
upon which the Doctrine of the Trinity is based
2D.1 What are the biblical
verses that are claimed to provide material upon which the
doctrine of the Trinity is based?
References
used from Scripture
The New Testament does not use
the word "Τριάς" (Trinity) nor explicitly teach it,
but provides the material upon which the doctrine of
the Trinity is based.[22]
It required reflection by the earliest Christians on
the coming of Jesus and of what they believed to be
the presence and power of God among them, which they
called the Holy Spirit; and it associated the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in such passages as the
Great Commission: "Go therefore and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"[Matt. 28:19]
and Paul the
Apostle's blessing:
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of
God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with
you all,"[2
Cor. 13:14]
while at the same
time not contradicting the Jewish Shema Yisrael:
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one."[Deuteronomy 6:4][1]
Apart from the passages that speak of Father Son and
Holy Spirit, there are many passages that refer to
God and Jesus without also referring to the Spirit.[23]
According to Christian
tradition the Trinity was introduced by the Gospels
and Jesus Christ himself[24]
"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you."[Matt. 28:19-20]
Jesus thus mentions the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit in a phrase that may suggest that there
is one name that encompasses all three.
The Old Testament refers to
God's word,[25]
his spirit,[26]
and Wisdom.[27]
These have been interpreted as foreshadowings of the
doctrine of the Trinity,[28]
as have been also narratives such as the appearance
of the three men to Abraham.[Gen. 18][6]
Some Church Fathers believed that a knowledge of the
mystery was granted to the prophets and saints of
the Old Dispensation, and that they identified the
divine messenger of Genesis 16:7, 21:17, 31:11,
Exodus 3:2 and Wisdom of the sapiential books with
the Son, and "the spirit of the Lord" with the Holy
Spirit.[29]
However, it is generally agreed that it would go
beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament
to correlate these notions directly with later
Trinitarian doctrine.[29][30]
The Gospel of John opens by
declaring, as usually translated: "In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. He was with God in the
beginning. Through him all things were made; without
him nothing was made that has been made." The rest
of John 1 makes it
clear that "the Word" refers to Jesus Christ. Thus
John introduces a seemingly impossible
contradiction, that Jesus both "was with God" and
"was God" at the same time, and that was true from
the beginning of creation. John also portrays Jesus
Christ as the creator of the Universe, such that
"without him nothing was made that has
been made."[John 1:3]
The Apostle John is identified
as the "one whom Jesus loved" thus perhaps being the
closest Apostle to Jesus. Jesus also instructed John
to adopt Jesus' mother Mary as John's own in Mary's
old age[Jn 19:26]
such that John would have had the entire knowledge
of Jesus' family when writing his Gospel. Some
scholars question this, however, as the gospel of
John is believed to have been written no earlier
than the last decade of the first century (ca. 96
CE, according to Catholic tradition).[31]
Jesus
frequently referred to the "Father" as God as
distinct from himself, but also discussed "The Holy
Spirit" as a being distinct from either God the
Father or Jesus himself.
These things I have spoken to you while
abiding with you. But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, he
will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all that I said to you. –
John 14:25-26
In
this passage, Jesus portrays the Father sending the
Holy Spirit—that is the Father and the Holy Spirit
are two distinctly different persons, and portrays
both the Father and the Holy Spirit as distinct from
Jesus himself. Thus even apart from whether Jesus
was God, Jesus declares that the Father and the Holy
Spirit are two different persons, both of them
divine. In the same way, the Old Testament
frequently refers to "the Spirit of God" as
something slightly different from God himself.
The
fourth Gospel also elaborates on the role of Holy
Spirit, sent as an advocate for believers.[32]
The immediate context of these verses was providing
"assurance of the presence and power of God both in
the ministry of Jesus and the ongoing life of the
community"; but, beyond this immediate context,
these verses raised questions of relationship
between Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, especially
as concerns their distinction and their unity. These
questions were hotly debated over the ensuing
centuries, and mainstream Christianity resolved the
issues by drawing up creeds.[32]
However, some scholars dispute
the authenticity of the Trinity and argue that the
doctrine is the result of "later theological
interpretations of Christ's nature and function."[33][34]
The concept was expressed in early writings from the
beginning of the second century forward. Some
believe the concept was introduced in the Old
Testament book of Isaiah written around 700 years
before Jesus, copies of which were preserved from
300 years before Jesus in the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Isaiah 9:6
prophesies "For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a
Son is given; And the government will be upon his
shoulder. And his name will be called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace." Thus a son who will be born at a
particular point in history (to a virgin or young
woman[Isa. 7:14]
is also "Mighty God, Everlasting Father". This is
the Christian teaching that God exists
simultaneously as the Eternal God and also as a Son
(Jesus) born to a virgin. Isaiah refers to the Son
as "Mighty God, Everlasting Father".
Various passages from both the Christian and Hebrew
scriptures have been cited as supporting this
doctrine, while other passages are cited as opposing
it.
Source: Trinity,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trinity&oldid=340760472
(last visited Jan. 29, 2010).
As explained above, the New Testament does
not use the word "Trinity" nor explicitly teach it, but
it is claimed to provide the material upon which the
doctrine of the Trinity is based. It is also
claimed that according to Christian tradition the
Trinity was introduced by the Gospels and Jesus Christ
himself.
The following verses are claimed
to provide the basis of the
Trinity doctrine.
Please
check/study these verses if said verses really provide
basis of the
Trinity doctrine.
-
Matthew 28:19 -
"Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, (NKJV)
-
2 Corinthians
13:14 -- The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and
the love of God, and the communion of the Holy
Spirit be with you all. Amen. (NKJV)
-
John 1:1 &3 -
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. 3. All things
were made through Him, and without Him nothing was
made that was made. (NKJV)
-
John 24:25-26 -
"These things I have spoken to you while being
present with you. "But the Helper, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and bring to your
remembrance all things that I said to you. (NKJV)
- Isaiah 9:6 -
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given;
and the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
(NKJV)
Study
suggestions:
Use other versions of the Bible in
your study. Search the internet for more
information on the subject and/or the explanation of the
above verses. Search and study other
supporting verses that may not be included
in the above list.
2D.2 What biblical verses
are cited to imply support of the
Trinity doctrine?
Scriptural texts cited as implying support
The diverse references to God,
Jesus, and the Spirit found in the New Testament
were later systematized into the idea of a
Trinity—one God subsisting in three persons and one
substance—in order to combat heretical tendencies of
how the three are related and to defend the church
against charges of worshiping two or three gods.[32]
The doctrine itself was not explicitly stated in the
New Testament and no New Testament writer expounds
on the relationship among the three in the detail
that later writers do. Thus, while Matthew records a
special connection between God the Father and Jesus
the Son,[Matt. 11:27]
he falls short of claiming that Jesus is equal with
God[Matt. 24:36][32]
although John is more explicit and writes that Jesus
Christ told the Jews: "I and the Father are one".[John 10:30]
The
most influential New Testament text was the
reference to the three Persons in the baptismal
formula in Matthew 28:19.
Other passages also were seen as having Trinitarian
overtones, such as the Pauline benediction of
2 Cor. 13:14.[6]
The Gospel of John starts, as
generally understood and translated,[36]
with the affirmation that in the beginning Jesus as
Word "was with God and ...was God",[John 1:1]
and ends with Thomas's confession of faith to Jesus,
"My Lord and my God!"[John 20:28][32]
There is no significant tendency among modern
scholars to deny that these two verses identify
Jesus with God.[37]
The same Gospel also suggests that Jesus' use of the
term "Son of God" inferred essential equality and
unity of Father and Son—"…making himself equal to
the Father"[John 5:18]
[19:7]
and saying "I and the Father are one."[10:30]
John also suggests a hierarchy when Jesus is quoted
as saying, "The Father is greater than I,"[14:28]
a statement appealed to by Marcionism,
Valentinianism, Arianism who held non-trinitarian
views.[citation
needed]
Summarizing the role of scripture in the formation
of Trinitarian belief, Gregory Nazianzen argues in
his Orations that the revelation was
intentionally gradual:
The Old Testament proclaimed the Father openly, and
the Son more obscurely. The New manifested the Son,
and suggested the deity of the Spirit. Now the
Spirit himself dwells among us, and supplies us with
a clearer demonstration of himself. For it was not
safe, when the Godhead of the Father was not yet
acknowledged, plainly to proclaim the Son; nor when
that of the Son was not yet received to burden us
further.[38]
Source: Trinity,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trinity&oldid=340760472
(last visited Jan. 29, 2010).
The diverse references
to God, Jesus, and the Spirit found in the New Testament
were later systematized into the idea of a Trinity—one
God subsisting in three persons and one substance.
Based on the above
references, the
following verses are cited to imply support the doctrine
of the Trinity.
Please check/study these
verses if said verses really support and/or confirm the
Trinity doctrine.
-
John 10:30 -
"I and My Father are
one.'' (NKJV)
- John 20:28 -
And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my
God!' (NKJV)
- John 5:18 -
Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him,
because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said
that God was His Father, making Himself equal with
God.(NKJV)
- John 19:7 -
The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according
to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself
the Son of God.'' (NKJV)
Study
suggestions:
Use other versions of the Bible in
your study. Search the internet for more
information on the subject and/or the explanation of the
above verses. Search and study other
supporting verses that may not be included
in the above list.
Verses that directly reference the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same time
2D.3 What are the verses
that are claimed to support the Trinity doctrine because
these verses directly reference the Father, Son, and the
Holy Spirit at the same time?
References
to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
A
few verses directly reference the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit at the same time:
-
"As soon as Jesus Christ
was baptized, he went up out of the water. At
that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the
Spirit of God descending like a dove and landing
on him. And a voice from heaven said, 'This is
my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"[Matt. 3:16–17]
[Mark 1:10–11]
[Luke 3:22]
[John 1:32]
-
"The angel answered and
said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will
overshadow you; and for that reason the holy
Child shall be called the Son of God.'"[Luke 1:35]
-
"How much more, then, will
the blood of Christ, who through the eternal
Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to
death, so that we may serve the living God!"[Heb. 9:14]
-
"But Stephen, full of the
Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the
glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right
hand of God."
[Acts 7:55]
-
This passage contains many
complex formulations of the relationship between
God, Christ, and Spirit, including "the Spirit
of him who raised Jesus from the dead,"[Rom. 8:11]
"all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons
of God,"[8:14-17]
and "the Spirit intercedes for the saints
according to the will of God."[8:26-27]
Some
even reference these as part of a single formula:
-
"Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit"[Matt. 28:19]
(see Trinitarian formula). It has been claimed
that writings of Eusebius show the mention of
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to have displaced a
request by Jesus that his disciples baptize
people in his name,[39]
but all manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew
contain, without any variation, the mention of
the Trinity.[40]
-
"The grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ and the love of God and the
fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of
you."[2
Cor. 13:14]
Main article: Comma Johanneum
In addition to these,
1 John 5:7,
which is found in the King James Version but
not in modern English translations nor in the
official Latin text (a revision of the Vulgate)
of the Roman Catholic Church,[41]
states: "For there are three that bear record
in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one." However,
this Comma Johanneum is not considered to be
part of the genuine text.[42]
It is commonly found in Latin manuscripts, but
is absent from the Greek manuscripts, except for
a few late examples, where the passage appears
to have been back-translated from the Latin.
Erasmus, the compiler of the Textus Receptus,
on which the King James Version was based,
noticed that the passage was not found in any of
the Greek manuscripts at his disposal and
refused to include it until presented with an
example containing it, which he rightly
suspected[neutrality is disputed]
was a gloss after the fact.[43]
Although the Latin Church Father, Saint Cyprian,
is thought to have referred to the passage,[44]
it is now considered not to have been part of
the original text.
Source:
Trinity,
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Trinity&oldid=340760472
(last visited Jan. 29, 2010).
From the above
information, the following verses are cited to directly
reference the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the same
time.
Please check/study the
following verses to determine if said verses really mean
to support and confirm the
Trinity doctrine by
directly referencing the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at
the same time.
- Matthew
3:16-17 , Mark 1:10-11, Luke 3:22, John 1:32
- Matthew
3:16-17 - Then Jesus, when He had been
baptized, came up immediately from the
water; and behold, the heavens were opened
to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God
descending like a dove and alighting upon
Him. 17. And suddenly a voice came from
heaven, saying, "This is My beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased.'' (NKJV)
- Mark
1:10-11 - And immediately, coming up
from the water, He saw the heavens parting
and the Spirit descending upon Him like a
dove. 11. Then a voice came from heaven,
"You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased.'' (NKJV)
- Luke 3:22
- And the Holy Spirit descended in
bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a
voice came from heaven which said, "You are
My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.''
(NKJV)
- John 1:32
- And John bore witness, saying, "I saw
the Spirit descending from heaven like a
dove, and He remained upon Him. (NKJV)
- Luke 1:35 -
And the angel answered and said to her, "The
Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Highest will overshadow you; therefore,
also, that Holy One who is to be born will be
called the Son of God. (NKJV)
- Hebrew 9:14
- how much more shall the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself
without spot to God, purge your conscience from
dead works to serve the living God? (NKJV)
- Acts 7:55 -
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed
into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus
standing at the right hand of God, (NKJV)
- Romans 8:11,
Romans 8: 14-17, Romans 8:26-27
- Romans
8:11 - But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He
who raised Christ from the dead will also
give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit who dwells in you. (NKJV)
- Romans
8:14-17 - 14. For as many as are led by
the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
15. For you did not receive the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but you received the
Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out,
"Abba, Father.''
16. The Spirit Himself bears witness with
our spirit that we are children of God,
17. and if children, then heirs heirs of God
and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we
suffer with Him, that we may also be
glorified together. (NKJV)
- Romans
8:26-27 - 26. Likewise the Spirit also
helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know
what we should pray for as we ought, but the
Spirit Himself makes intercession for us
with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what
the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes
intercession for the saints according to the
will of God. (NKJV)
-
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. (KJV) -
-
Note: 1 John 5:7, which is found in
the King James Version but not in modern English
translations nor in the official Latin text (a
revision of the Vulgate) of the Roman Catholic
Church. For more details, see above references
on
Comma Johanneum.
Study
suggestions:
Use other versions of the Bible in
your study. Search the internet for more
information on the subject and/or the explanation of the
above verses. Search and study other
supporting verses that may not be included
in the above list.
_______________________
Why the Trinity
doctrine is a mystery
After studying the
scriptural basis of the Trinity Doctrine, many people have found out that it is indeed
difficult to comprehend. In fact many found it impossible to
understand. Let us continue our study so we may come to know
why the Trinity doctrine is a mystery.
2D.4
What do some people
say regarding their understanding of the doctrine of the
Trinity?
The following are some
comments of people who have studied the doctrine of the Trinity:
- The Trinity is a wonderful mystery. No one
understands it. The most learned theologian, the
holiest Pope, the greatest saint, all are mystified
by it as a child of seven.
[Martin J. Scott,
S.J., God and Myself, Nhil Obstat: Arthurus
J. Scanlan, S.T.D., Imprimatur: Joannes Cardinalis
Farley (P.J. Kenedy and Sons, 1917), pp. 118-119.]
-
Trinitarians say that "the
doctrine of the Trinity is [...] a deep mystery
that cannot be fathomed by the finite mind."[7]
Source:
Wikipedia, Nontrinitarianism,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianism (as
of June 17, 2010, 15:11 GMT).
-
The doctrine of the
Trinity — that God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit are each equally and eternally the
one true God — is admittedly difficult to
comprehend, and yet is the very foundation of
Christian truth. Although skeptics may ridicule
it as a mathematical impossibility, it is
nevertheless a basic doctrine of Scripture as well
as profoundly realistic in both universal experience
and in the scientific understanding of the cosmos.
Authors: Henry Morris and Martin Clark (excerpted
from The Bible Has the Answer by Morris and
Clark, published by Master Books, 1987).
- "The mind of man cannot fully understand the mystery
of the Trinity. He who would try to understand the
mystery fully will lose his mind. But he who
would deny the Trinity would lose his soul"
(Harold Lindsey
and Charles J. Woodbridge, A handbook of Christian
truth, pp 51-52).
Trinitarians and other
authors commented that the doctrine of the Trinity is .
. . . . .
- The Trinity is a
wonderful mystery. No one understands it. The most
learned theologian, the holiest Pope, the greatest
saint, all are mystified by it as a child of seven.
- It is a deep
mystery that cannot be fathomed by the finite mind
- It is admittedly
difficult to comprehend.
- Skeptics ridicule
it as a mathematical impossibility.
- The mind of man
cannot fully understand the mystery of the Trinity.
He who would try to understand the mystery fully
will lose his mind.
2D.5
Why is the
doctrine of the Trinity a mystery?
The
doctrine of the
Trinity — that God the Father, God the Son, and God
the Holy Spirit are each equally and eternally the
one true God —
is admittedly difficult to
comprehend. It is said that the
"Trinity is a mystery no one understands".
- For how indeed
could anyone understand the teaching that the three
persons, each of whom is a true God, are only one
God?
- In other words,
how could anyone understand the teaching that one
plus one plus one are equal to one?
John Walsh a Jesuit
priest has this to say:
God, of course, can not perform an absurdity, a
contradiction in terms. He cannot for instance, make
two and two equal five.
[John Walsh,
This is Catholicism (New York: Image Books,
1959) p. 25.]
To say that "one plus
one plus one are equal to one" is no better that saying
"two plus two equal five". It is an absurdity says
Walsh, a contradiction in terms.
Another Jesuit priest
C.F. Blount states in his book The Blessed Trinity:
"the dogma of the Blessed Trinity is a mystery in
the fullest sense" . . . . "it cannot be proved by
reason, . . . nay, it cannot be even be proved to be
possible"
[Rev. C.F.
Blount, S.J., The Blessed Trinity (London:
Catholic Truth Society), p.2.]
Thus, it is clearly
accepted by Trinitarians that the doctrine of the
Trinity is a mystery because . . . .
- it cannot be
proved by reason
- it cannot even be
proved to be possible.
____________________
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE
SUBJECT:
Many articles have been written about the Trinity doctrine
and many are available in the internet. Please search the
internet using the search phrase - scriptural proof of the
Trinity doctrine.
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