Part II - Prooftexts
Bible Verses Cited by Trinitarians
(Usually Without Explanation)
Go to the websites of most churches or Christian schools, and their Statement of Belief will usually say, in one way or another, that they adhere to the Trinity Doctrine. They will give their own paraphrase of the Trinity Doctrine (sometimes incomplete—perhaps a sign of hesitancy?), and then in parentheses offer a list of Bible references to support their stance. But almost never will they explain exactly how the verses relate to the Trinity; we are supposed to just take their word for it.
In this document we will dig in and examine the most-frequently-mentioned Bible verses. We are determined not to be lazy journalists. We will go back to the original documents (books of the Bible) and see if, in fact, they support the doctrine of the Trinity.
Along the way, you will observe that the present writer is very upset at the stupidity of the Trinitarian claims, and he lets his feelings be known. That may not seem to be a very objective and impartial attitude, and it isn’t. We’re talking here about Christianity’s basic concept of God. We’re talking about statements which now appear at the beginning of thousands of Statements of Belief around the world and which are supposed to be foundational to a Christian’s faith. We’re talking about statements which change God from being an Almighty King on his throne, to being a mathematical concept portrayed in geometric shapes, or to being a spiritual blob which morphs into three different people at different times and places. We’re talking about a victory for Satan, which he has accomplished by changing our God from the monarch who kicked Satan “like lightning” out of heaven, to being some sort of three-part principle, not unlike some “principle” or “force” in Eastern religions, which can be portrayed in pencil-and-paper diagrams. This devolution of our concept of God is disgusting and blasphemous, and is depriving Christianity of its power—of the power of God’s Truth, the power of God’s Word. And it is depriving God of his glory—the glory which it is our bounden duty to bring to him.
Matthew 28:19
Probably the most-cited verse on church websites in support of the Trinity Doctrine is Matthew 28:19, where Jesus tells his disciples, “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.” Somehow, in their twisted thinking, theologians have decided that this verse can be interpreted to show that God is actually three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), all coequal and coeternal, residing in a single God (or “Godhead”). I’m sure you can see all that theology in there, can’t you?? Apparently, their logic hinges on the fact that the word “name” is singular, implying (to them) that the three objects of it are subsumed under a single name into one single entity. To come to such a conclusion requires a great leap of logic and a butchering of language. The phrase “in the name of” is not a way of assigning a name (please, you over-educated language geniuses) but means those people receiving baptism would now come under the authority and protection of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And besides, if this phrase were a way of associating a single name, then where is the name??
2 Corinthians 13:14
Another verse cited on many church websites is 2 Corinthians 13:14: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” Once again, this is somehow supposed to show that Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit are three coequal, coeternal persons all existing within a single God (or “Godhead”).
This verse lists in order three components: Jesus Christ, God, and the Holy Spirit. But wait a second; are these the three components of the Trinity? According to the Trinity doctrine, God = (Father + Son + Holy Spirit), but in the 2 Corinthians list God is one of the three components. How can we now say God = (Jesus + God + Holy Spirit)? That is some impossible math. And comparing this verse with Matthew 28:19 (above) it looks like the word “God” has taken the place of the word “Father” in the Trinitarian list. So, can it be that God and the Father are the same (and separate from Jesus and the Holy Spirit)? Co
Genesis 1:26
Another frequently-mentioned “Trinitarian” verse is Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Theologians zoom in on the word “our” and say, “Aha! You see? ‘Our’ is a plural pronoun. That means the Trinity—three coequal and coeternal persons named the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are working together here to create man. Yessiree, we can see all of that heavy theology in that one word ‘our.’” Which shows that our theologians have eyes to see what they have already decided to see. The most reasonable explanation for the word “our” is that it is the so-called “royal we,” or as some would quaintly put it, “the plural of majesty.” That this verse is not meant to imply that God is a plurality can be seen by reading on to verse 27 where it says “in the image of God he [God, singular] created him [man]”; or by turning the page to Genesis 2 verse 8, where it says “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he [singular] put the man whom he [singular] had formed.”
Genesis 1:1, Psalm 90:2
While we’re in Genesis, it’s worth pointing out that Genesis 1:1 is also often cited as a basis for the Trinity: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Trinitarian logic here seems to be the same as the logic used when Trinitarians sometimes cite Psalm 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God.” Both of these verses state plainly that God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. What seems to be hidden between the lines, in a way visible only to a highly trained theologian, is the idea that God is really three coequal and coeternal persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—which coexist in one common God (“Godhead”). If you can’t see that logic, then you’re just not a trained theologian, you don’t have the scintillating intelligence of our doctors of divinity, and I feel sorry for you.
1 Peter 1:2
If you still don’t follow Trinitarian logic, then maybe, just maybe, you will be convinced by another verse frequently cited on websites as a basis for the Trinity. This one is 1 Peter chapter 1 verse 2. I will quote verses 1 and 2 together:
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappado′cia, Asia, and Bithyn′ia, chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Now I am sure you can see clearly how Peter is telling us in this sentence that God consists of three coequal and coeternal persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—combined into a single entity (or “Godhead”). Hopefully you are not a picky reader who says, “But I don’t get it. This verse seems to equate God with the Father—the Father alone—doesn’t it? After all, it does say, “God the Father,” and it lists Jesus and the Spirit as separate from God the Father, doesn’t it? So how can they all three be God?”
Do you realize if you voice such quibbles, they will not be regarded as quibbles? You will be regarded as questioning the Trinity Doctrine. And according to many church and Christian school websites, the implication is that you are therefore not a Christian! Better shut up if you want to be comfortable while socializing in the coffee hour after church.
1 John 5:7, John 14:6
Our theologians are tenacious; they have plenty more proof texts. For example, 1 John 5:7: “And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth.” Theologians will then remind us that Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), and they will say, “Look at that! The Spirit is the truth, and Jesus is the truth—so put those two facts together and it means Jesus and the Spirit must be two coequal and coeternal persons, along with the Father, within a single God (or ‘Godhead’).”
Get it? You mean you don’t get it? You’re probably thinking too much, so quit thinking! You’re probably thinking, first of all, that Jesus was sent to earth as God’s message to us (“in these last days he [God] has spoken to us by a Son” (Hebrews 1:2)), bringing us God’s truth. And you’re probably also thinking how Jesus promised his disciples that after his resurrection he would ask God to send the Holy Spirit to them, the Spirit of truth, which would lead them into all truth (“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak” (John 16:13)). Therefore, you’re concluding it’s no accident that both Jesus and the Spirit are described as “the truth,” because they both are sent from God to bring God’s truth to us. It’s not because they “are” God that they are described as “the truth”; it’s because they are sent from God, bearing God’s truth, to us.
Our modern theologians are not “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15)! They are blind guides.
Thomas Meets the Resurrected Christ: John 20:28
When Jesus appeared a second time to the disciples in the house after his resurrection, Jesus told Thomas to feel the wounds in his hands and his side, to show that Jesus was physically real and not a spirit. Thomas responded in awe and wonder, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Trinitarians pounce on this statement and say, “This proves that Jesus is God—that Jesus is the same as the Creator God in Genesis—because Thomas was calling him God.”
But was Thomas calling Jesus God? Even today we hear people exclaim, “My God!” when they see something astonishing happen, and we don’t assume that the object of their astonishment “is God.” The sense of the exclamation is that what has happened is so amazing that only God’s supernatural power can account for it.
What is actually most amazing here is the Trinitarians’ total blindness. They have only to read two more sentences down and see the apostle John give his explanation for what he has just written:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31)
John explicitly says that his purpose in writing these things is that we may believe that Jesus is Son of God (not that Jesus “is” God). What could be clearer? How can anyone not understand John’s meaning? How could he possibly be more definitive? And yet the Trinitarian juggernaut rolls on, mercilessly declaring any opposition anathema.
The Holy Spirit: John 14:26, 2 Samuel 23:2
By now, if you are really thinking (which I warned you not to do), you may by this time be saying to yourself, “What is this business about the Holy Spirit being a person? I always thought the Holy Spirit was, well, a Spirit.” Arrgh! I told you to quit thinking!
Do you remember the biblical picture of heaven we drew earlier, with God seated high up on a throne in heaven and Jesus seated on his right hand? This picture raises a question: Where is the throne for the Holy Spirit? Answer: There is not, and never will be, a throne for the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit is not a person to sit on a throne!
Another question: If the Holy Spirit is such an important “person”, why is the Holy Spirit never given a name? The Son has a name (Jesus), and the Father has a name (Yahweh). But the Holy Spirit is always “the” Holy Spirit (or in John’s gospel, “the” Counselor or “the” Helper), and never, ever, ever, is the Holy Spirit given a personal name. Why? Because the Holy Spirit is not a person to receive a name.
Now Trinitarians will call on their ace in the hole; they will gleefully quote John 14:26, where Jesus said, “But the Counselor, 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 have said to you.” The grammatically punctilious theologians will say, “See that? See that? The Holy Spirit is a ‘he’ here! It must be a person!” And they are right, the “he” does denote a person, and the person is God himself, speaking through his Holy Spirit. In both the Old Testament and New Testament (Hebrew language and Greek language) “spirit” is the same word as “breath.” So, the language itself points us toward defining the Holy Spirit as the breath of God—the breath of God bringing God’s words and God’s power to people and events on earth.
At this point it seems appropriate to step outside the Bible for a moment and think about a Christian’s personal experience of the Holy Spirit. When God speaks to you (as a Christian) through the Holy Spirit, you know without a doubt that the “he” who is speaking to you is God (the Father), and it is not some other “person” called the Holy Spirit. That experience of the Christian—the experience of hearing the voice of the Lord through the Holy Spirit—corresponds exactly with the language of the Bible in both the Old and New Testaments. Many times the phrase “the Spirit of the LORD (Yahweh)” occurs in the Bible, meaning the Spirit which comes forth from God the Father, the Spirit by which God breathes his Word of power and truth onto us and onto the earth. David says at 2 Samuel 23:2-3: “The Spirit of the LORD speaks by me, his word is upon my tongue. The God of Israel has spoken, the Rock of Israel has said to me: … .” In other words, God speaks his words by means of his Spirit to David, and David passes those words on to us.
It seems so obvious that one feels silly saying it: The Holy Spirit is called a spirit because it is a spirit (duh!), and not a person. God the Father is the “person” behind the words, expressing those words to us through his Spirit.
The Holy Spirit as a Dove: John 1:32
All four gospels record that when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus in the form of a dove. John’s gospel says, “And John [the Baptist] bore witness, ‘I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him’” (John 1:32).
It’s hard to imagine why, but some organizations’ statements of faith cite this verse as evidence of the Trinity. It should be obvious even to the most dedicated Trinitarian that a dove is not a person, so this verse would seem to be an argument against the idea that the Holy Spirit is the third “person” of the Trinity. But on the other hand, I suppose this passage could also be used as an argument against the idea that the Holy Spirit is a spirit. It sounds strange to say that, but after all, a dove is not a “spirit.”
The crux of the matter is in the words “John bore witness.” We know we’re talking about an especially important event, because it is recorded in all four gospels. The Holy Spirit—because it is a spirit—is not normally visible. So, if the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in its normally-invisible form, it could not be seen, and then how could John the Baptist (or anyone else) bear witness to the event? Therefore, in this instance, God gave the Holy Spirit a visible form so the event could be seen and recorded for our benefit. Nowhere else in the Bible does the Holy Spirit assume the form of a dove; but one might think of a parallel phenomenon in the tongues of fire which appeared over the apostles at Pentecost. In that instance, too, the Lord made the presence of the Holy Spirit visible so outsiders could testify to its presence.
John 1:1, 14; 8:42
John’s gospel begins with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Further down, verse 14 reads: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.” So, verse 14 makes it clear that the “Word” in verse 1 is to be identified with Jesus, the Son. Christian educators sometimes read the phrase from verse 1—“the Word was God”—and immediately draw the conclusion, “You see, that means Jesus is God!” Without thinking, their fixation on the Trinity leads them to translate “was” (past tense) into “is” (present tense), and to miss what John is really trying to say.
John is emphasizing that Jesus truly is a Son, not a created being like Adam and Eve and the rest of humanity. In John 8:42 Jesus testifies: “I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.” Jesus doesn’t say he is God; he says he proceeded and came forth from God. Jesus “was” God in the beginning, in a way similar to the way you and I “were” our parents in the “beginning,” before we were born. (Or as when, according to Hebrews 7:10, Levi “was still in the loins of his ancestor [Abraham]” several generations before Levi was born.) The bottom line: John is telling us that Jesus really is a Son—he carries the Father’s spiritual DNA.
So the question is: How can Jesus “be” God if he has come forth from God? The Trinitarian claim that Jesus “is” God is false, false, false, and is a serious stumbling block in Christian theology. False teaching of any sort is a stumbling block to believers, but to have false teaching about the character of the God we worship, and to have it appear at the top of the Statement of Belief on virtually every Christian website, is especially foul-smelling. It points to serious dereliction of duty on the part of Christian theologians.
Jesus as Mediator
Scripture tells us that Jesus has become the mediator between God and man. “Mediator” means he stands in the middle, much as a lawyer represents a client before a judge. Saying that Jesus stands between God and man obviously means that Jesus must be separate from God. (Really, why is this so difficult to comprehend??) Here are some pertinent verses, with my emphasis added:
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).
Therefore he [Jesus] is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant (Hebrews 9:15).
But you have come … to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant (Hebrews 12:22-24).
The last verse above, mentioning God as judge, makes the lawyer/judge analogy especially clear. And isn’t this the basic message of the Christian gospel, that Jesus came to make us able to stand before a holy God? That is the message of salvation! Not that Jesus is God, but that he was sent by God for this purpose, to bring us to God? The Trinity Doctrine actually muddies the gospel message. Many other verses support the theme of Jesus as mediator; we will mention a few more.
Jesus as Priest: Hebrews 7:23-28
Here is how the author of the book of Hebrews describes the priesthood of Jesus, and distinguishes it from any earthly priesthood:
The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office; but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever (Hebrews 7:23-28).
If Jesus is God, as the Trinitarians claim, then why does he have to make intercession to God, as in the first paragraph above? It doesn’t make sense, and it is contrary to the meaning of God’s word. Also, notice that the last sentence says Jesus “has been made perfect forever.” But it would be blasphemy to say God has been made perfect, since God himself is the definition of perfection. Trinitarian formulations make a muddle out of scripture. No, that sentence is too polite; in actuality, Trinitarian formulas deny the truth and power of scripture.
The Ancient of Days: Daniel 7:13-14
About 600 years before Jesus appeared on earth, Daniel the prophet recorded a vision he had of Jesus being presented before the throne of God in heaven:
I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
and glory and kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).
“The son of man,” as we know from the New Testament, is a term for Jesus. The Ancient of Days is God on his throne in heaven. If Jesus is God, as the Trinitarians claim, then this passage makes no sense. How can God be presented before himself to receive a kingdom? Trinitarian language makes this passage incomprehensible. Or, should I say, this passage makes Trinitarian language incomprehensible? Or, better yet, Trinitarian language is flat out incomprehensible.
There Is One God, and God Is One: Deuteronomy 6:4
Trinitarians are quick to remind you that they don’t believe in three gods, but believe in one God in three persons. They know they have to insist on believing in one God because of the way God introduced himself through Moses to the people of Israel at Mt. Sinai: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord” (Deuteronomy 6:4). Trinitarians will even cite this verse as one of their “proofs” of the Trinity, even though it obviously says nothing about “three persons.”
Deuteronomy 6:4 is, in fact, a very anti-Trinitarian statement. Notice that “LORD” is all uppercase in the translation, meaning that in the original Hebrew language it is the “tetragrammaton” which we pronounce as “Yahweh,” the name God gave for himself. Note: this is a personal name which God gave for himself. At Exodus 3:15, God says, “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.” Do you see the significance of God revealing his personal name? Trinitarians insist that God is really three persons in one; but because God is referring to himself by a personal name, and saying he is one, it means the single person LORD [Yahweh] is one LORD—it excludes the possibility of the one God being three persons! This is very important! Trinitarians are blindly and deliberately ignoring this! When God says he is “one,” it means that Yahweh, God the Father, as distinguished from Jesus, the Son, is one—he alone is God!
Much later in history the Psalmist calls on God and says,
Let them know that thou alone,
whose name is the Lord,
art the Most High over all the earth (Psalm 83:18).
Once again “LORD” is in uppercase letters, meaning the psalmist is using the personal name of God, Yahweh. How many ways can the message be said? Yahweh (“LORD”) is a personal name indicating a single person; and this God “alone” is Most High over all the earth.
Has it ever occurred to any Christian leader that maybe one reason Christianity is so divided is because we worship a divided God? This subject is not to be compared to counting the angels on the head of a pin. This subject is very basic to our faith; it is our concept of who God is. The doctrine of the Trinity is false teaching, and false teaching—no matter what sort—always weakens the church and deprives God of his glory. The apostle Peter said, “there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies” (2 Peter 2:1). Giving out false teaching of this sort is not just a simple error; the result of this teaching is not the same as simply missing a question on a final exam; it is “destructive,” as Peter says.