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A friend of mine sent me a Bible verse from a subscription to a daily Scripture from The Berean, from Bible Tools. (Not to be confused with Bible Study Tools, which is fine). I thought I might subscribe. Nothing better than a Bible verse and commentary sent to my inbox, right? Wrong.
As is my practice, I clicked on the About tab to check the source of these commentaries. Here’s what I found:
This site is wholly owned and operated by Church of the Great God, Inc., a non-profit organization. The church, based in the Charlotte, North Carolina, area, is a Sabbath-keeping, non-Trinitarian organization of individuals in the United States, Canada, France, the Netherlands, southern Africa, Australia, Trinidad, the Philippines, and various other locations around the world. In addition to BibleTools.org, the church also supports the True Gospel, The Berean, the Sabbath, and Biblical Jesus as well as publishing Forerunner magazine, various booklets on Christian subjects, and sermon CDs.
Wait, whaaaaat? There are more than a few red flags in this thing to wave off a barge, but let’s just focus on the non-Trinitarian thing. Here’s what The Berean says:
Loads of Bible verses are cited, and that’s why this teaching is so dangerous. Those who don’t know the Bible in context might come to believe in this statement, that the Trinity is man-made. It sounds to me a lot like what adherents of The Way International believe. Here is a comprehensive list of denominations that reject the Trinity. Groups from that list that also deny the divinity of Christ include:
- Latter-day Saints
- Jehovah’s Witnesses
- Christian Science
- Unification Church
- Unity School of Christianity
Yes, the Trinity is a word not found in Scripture, although the Bible does make clear this important doctrine of God in three persons quite succinctly. Here is a great couple of resource we recommend: Making Sense of the Trinity: Three Crucial Questions by Millard Erickson and The Forgotten Trinity by James White.
You may have seen this illustration before. It explains the Trinity so much better than an egg illustration or an apple:
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- The Trinity (Click to expand)
1) There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5).
2) The Trinity consists of three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun “Elohim” is used. In Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for “us” is used. The word “Elohim” and the pronoun “us” are plural forms, definitely referring in the Hebrew language to more than two. While this is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does denote the aspect of plurality in God. The Hebrew word for “God,” “Elohim,” definitely allows for the Trinity.
In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus’ baptism. Seen in this passage is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are examples of three distinct Persons in the Trinity.
3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages. In the Old Testament, “LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The LORD has a Son (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). The Spirit is distinguished from the “LORD” (Numbers 27:18) and from “God” (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also all the other times in the Gospels where Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another Person in the Trinity—the Father.
4) Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16).
5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity. This is simply an area which our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:42, John 5:36, John 20:21, and 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and especially John 16:13-14.
6) The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things.
The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.
The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Not to be confused with The Berean Call
Trinitarianism calls Paul (Acts 17:31; Rom. 5:15; 1 Cor. 15:21; 1 Tim. 2:5), Peter (Acts 2:22), John the baptizer (John 1:30), and JESUS HIMSELF (John 8:40) LIARS.
They all called him a MAN, and NEVER even IMPLIED that he was “God in the flesh.” Why not? If they had spent any time at all with him and thought that he was, wouldn’t they have metaphorically “shouted it from the rooftops”?
If you can read John 5-8 and still believe that he was talking about Himself as his “Father in heaven,” you have REALLY been brainwashed by Catholic doctrine.
Don’t bother trying to convert me BACK to trinitarianism. I spent the first 30 years of my life as a Southern Baptist and have heard it all.
But apparently, you haven’t read the Bible for what it says rather than what you’ve been told by 1600 years of Catholic doctrine, which Martin Luther FAILED to protest.
I respect your concern over those who teach error. However, the Doctrine of the Trinity is also a very serious error in and of itself. Consider this: God is the Father. The Bible does not teach that the one true God is a separate being from the Father. Father is an attribute of God. God manifested himself in human flesh when Jesus, his only begotten Son, was born. Jesus is not God the Son any more than he is an angel. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. Or as the Jehovah’s Witnesses say, “God’s active force.” The Oneness Pentecostals say the Holy Spirit is “God in Action.” I can accept both of these teachings. The teaching of the JW’s on who the Holy Spirit is and the teaching of the Oneness Pentecostals. However, the JW’s are a cult, and so are the Mormons. But the Oneness Pentecostals, or Apostolic Pentecostals are not. Why do Trinitarians call non-Trinitarians names? I have been called a heretic more times than I can remember. I have had Trinitarian friends tell me that Michael Servetus deserved to die, and if he was still alive they would say; “Let him burn!” I CAN PROMISE YOU THAT MURDER IS NOT A CHRISTIAN VIRTUE, AND JOHN CALVIN YOUR HEROE IS BURNING IN HELL!