Online bible degrees trinity school of biblical studies. Why do so many accept the trinity when the word isnt even mentioned in the bible. Library of early christianity gods and the one god. If in this last round he can not give a single verse that mentions the three persons of the trinity and shows that the persons must be three in one with equal divine honor, then the trinity is, in fact, extra biblical. The doctrine is essentially that god is one in being while existing as three co. It is used to summarize the teaching of scripture that god is three persons yet one god. The christian bible, including the new testament, has no trinitarian statements or speculations concerning a trinitary deity. The doctrine of the trinity is at the very center of the christian faith. Being that in the biblical conversation, god said to adam.
Understand that this is not in any way suggesting three gods. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune godthree coexistent, coeternal persons who are god. Now is not the time for these softer demonstrations and. It should be noted that the word trinity is never given in the bible. In a historical book called the doctrine of the trinity by a mr. Each of the persons is distinct from the other yet identical in essence. This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true god. The term trinity is not in the bible, and some nontrinitarians use this as an argument to state that the doctrine of the trinity relies on nonbiblical terminology, and. First of all, it is illogical to claim that since the word trinity is not found in the bible that its concept is not taught therein. Love and justice are inherently relational conditions so no god that lives in isolation can be either. Perhaps one of the oldest controversies in christianity is the question of the trinity. Moreover, one would not expect to find anything which negates the doctrine. This verse accurately states the doctrine of the trinity that god is one god in three persons.
Oneness pentecostals believe in one god who expresses himself in various ways, including jesus and the holy spirit. The word trinity comes from the word tri meaning three. To get a balanced and consistent view of who and what god is we must surely, have to take the whole of the biblical record into account. How would you prove the trinity is a biblical teaching. Notice how in trying to refute the trinity doctrine, the society misstates it threegods in one. This kind of objection usually demonstrates a prejudice against the teaching of the trinity. No where in the old testament, or in the whole bible for. Jan 02, 2020 the trinity is one god existing in three persons. We shall start with some references from the beginning of the bible to see what the early believers in god wrote. Christianity was not derived from pagan sources christianpagan parallels are far broader than trinity or angelchristology doctrine. Online bible degrees trinity school of biblical studies and. God is three distinct individuals god the father, the son jesus, and the holy spirit in one true god. Because the word trinity is never found in the bible some wonder about whether this is a biblical doctrine or not, but the absence of a term used to describe a doctrine does not necessarily mean the term is not biblical. The biblical basis of the doctrine of the trinity by robert.
Writing the trinity entry in the 1915 international standard bible encyclopedia, warfield freely admitted that the term trinity is not a biblical terma rather cheeky opening line for the trinity entry in a bible encyclopedia. The trinity school of biblical studies and theological studies offers biblical studies degrees at bachelors, masters and doctoral levels. The fully developed trinity doctrine did not exist until 381 a. This goes for the trinity, second coming, investigative judgment, and a host of other concise terms for doctrines. The roman emperor constantine the great, while himself not really a christian, convened and played a major role in the council of nicaea, which laid the groundwork for acceptance of the trinity doctrine. Yet most conservative, evangelical bible scholars agree that the trinity doctrine is clearly expressed within scripture. Dec 27, 2019 the westminster confession of faith explains, the whole counsel of god concerning all things necessary for his own glory, mans salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture 1. It says, go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the holy ghost. However, the biblical doctrine of the trinity does not rest on one verse of scripture, but is found throughout the old and new testaments. In contrast, other christians admit that their preferred doctrine of the trinity not only 1 cant be inferred from the bible alone, but also 2 that theres inadequate. Is the trinity true or false is the trinity biblical. As readily admitted by theologians, the trinity doctrine is not found in the bible but came about 300 years after christ following much political and religious debate, and reluctantly agreed upon by a few so as not to conflict with the whims of pagan emperor constantine.
Why do many theologians state the trinity doctrine is not biblical. On the other hand if you think the trinity teaching is not biblical please give your reasons why. You, whose name is jehovah, you alone are the most high over all the earth. That god can have a loving or just character but thats not the same as being love or being just because, according to the bible, love and justness are conditions of. The word trinity comes from tri meaning three and unity meaning one. God a single entity and not a trinity the gospel truth. It is a later addition to the church, like dantes divine. Yeshuas own baptism, all there and they are named and mentioned. You will later find that there is also not one legitimate text that says. Sep, 2010 while it has become increasingly popular to suggest that the doctrine of the trinity is derived from pagan sources, in reality, this christian essential is thoroughly biblical. Understanding the biblical doctrine of the trinity godhead. No where in the old testament, or in the whole bible for that matter, is mentioned the word trinity. Sophisticated trinitarians grant this, holding that the. Tritheism is a trinitarian heresy that denies the single essence of the godhead, instead arguing that there are three divine essencesthree individual godsnot one god in three persons.
For instance, tricycle means a cycle with three wheels. How can you believe in the trinity if the word trinity isn. Christianity has made many attempts to use the tanakh to try and prove. A teaching is not any less true simply because an extra biblical word is used to define what is clearly a biblical teaching. Furthermore, some assert that if god wanted us to believe in the trinity he would have stated the doctrine clearly. There is in fact not one scripture in the bible that states the holy spirit is god.
If in this last round he can not give a single verse that mentions the three persons of the trinity and shows that the persons must be three in one with equal divine honor, then the trinity is, in fact, extrabiblical. Thus, the doctrine of the trinity goes beyond and even distorts what the bible says about god p. So the word trinity simply means triune plus deity. Chapter 26 how and why the trinity is false and unbiblical. The trinity, is not mentioned in the bible, but is a major tenet for many christians. But this is not what is required for a doctrine to be biblical. We also know the bible is a nontrinitarian book as the word trinity did not exist until about 200 a. In fact, the word trinity does not even appear in the bible. E when an elder in alexandria, egypt named arianus questioned the doctrine of the trinity. Christianity teaches that god is actually a trinity or triune godhead made up of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. Oneness pentecostalism is a very early schism from the larger pentecostal movement. This was an ideal time for the lord jesus to teach the trinity. The bible does not teach the doctrine of the trinity. So from these few verses we have seen that god has not once described himself as being three in one.
In other words, each is fully divine in nature, but each is. The doctrine of the trinity is central to most christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. What follows are ten reasons, taken from the bible, that disprove the. Certainly, it cannot be denied that not only the word trinity, but even the explicit idea of the trinity is absent from the apostolic witness of the faith the doctrine of the trinity itself, however, is not a biblical doctrine emil brunner, the christian doctrine of god, philadelphia. I address all major trinitarian arguments here, including john 1. In not a god of confusion, we examined the watch towers argument that the trinity cannot be true because it is confusing, and discovered that 1 corinthians 14. While it is true that the word trinity is not found in the bible, this does not mean that it is not a biblical. Trinity history of trinitarian doctrines stanford encyclopedia of. Yet most conservative, evangelical bible scholars agree that. Additionally, we learned that god transcends human ability to fully comprehend him, and thus we cannot. No trinitarian doctrine is explicitly taught in the old testament. The westminster confession of faith explains, the whole counsel of god concerning all things. The term trinity is not found in the bible, and the concept is not easy to grasp or explain.
For information on ecumenism and the trinity, please see our page the ecumenical god of rome. Similarities do not indicate source, as best illustrated in the fact that the biblical flood story is found in every earth culture. A teaching is not any less true simply because an extrabiblical word is used to define what is clearly a biblical teaching. Professor erickson further states that the trinity teaching is not present in biblical thought, but arose when biblical thought was pressed into this foreign mold of greek concepts. The westminster confession of faith explains, the whole counsel of god concerning all things necessary for his own glory, mans salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture 1. But yes, gods spirit is spoken of in the ot, but then, there was no church. Which christian denominations do not believe in the. The word trinitylike incarnation is not found in scripture. With 8 or so texts that tell you jesus has a god, and it is the. Jun 25, 2019 the doctrine of the trinity is central to most christian denominations and faith groups, although not all. Catholic encyclopedia admits trinity is not biblical.
And please, if you decide to read this, read this carefully, and take it holistically, meaning as a whole. How can you believe in the trinity if the word trinity. Does the bible anywhere present a systematic statement of the doctrine of the trinity using technical theological terms such as homoousios or hypostasis. The word trinity is a term used to denote the christian doctrine that god exists as a unity of three distinct persons. In scripture there is as yet no single term by which the three divine persons are denoted together. In fact, the god of the bible is never described as being part of a trinity. Dec 10, 2019 but this is not what is required for a doctrine to be biblical. While the developed doctrine of the trinity is not explicit in the books that constitute the new testament, the new testament possesses a triadic understanding of god and contains a number of trinitarian formulas, including matthew 28. Not only is the trinity a biblical concept but it is a logical necessity once we understand god is love, and god it just. While it has become increasingly popular to suggest that the doctrine of the trinity is derived from pagan sources, in reality, this christian essential is thoroughly biblical. Some critics of the trinity doctrine claim that since the word trinity is not found in. That god is triune in nature is affirmed not only in scripture but also in the early ecumenical creeds of the churchspecifically, nicaea a. The doctrine of the trinity is not expressly set down in scripture. This debate dates back to the 4th century the 300s c.
Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word trinity is not found in scripture. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free john 8. If you would prefer very detailed information, then please read is the trinity true or false and is the trinity biblical. May 10, 2015 christianity teaches that god is actually a trinity or triune godhead made up of the father, the son, and the holy spirit. On the contrary, catholics believe that trinitarianism has carefully. The bible may not use the word trinity, but trinitarian theology does not go against the bible. The surprising origins of the trinity doctrine united. The origin of the trinity doctrine the trinity doctrine claims that there are three gods that are really only one god but you will soon find that this three in one god principle does not exist in scripture. Whether the word trinity is said or not it seems clear from the bible that the one god has three distinct forms, father, son, and spirit. This verse is found in mss, 61, 88mg, 629, 634mg, 636mg, omega 110, 429mg, 221, and 2318 along with two lectionaries 60, 173 and four fathers, tertullian, cyprian, augustine, and jerome mention it.
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