What is the Trinity?

The Lord Jesus emphasised the importance of understanding the truth about God when he said, "This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent" (John 17:3). He declared that knowing God truly is essential for salvation (see also Hebrews 11:6).

Christianity teaches a belief in the Trinity, which is considered the cornerstone of Christian faith and the standard for identifying true Christians.

"Whoever will be saved: before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Unless he keep this Faith whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the catholic faith is this: we worship one God in Trinity" (Catholicism magazine 1961)

This belief involves "one God" who exists as a "Triune God" consisting of three persons, Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each of these persons is co-equal, co-eternal and co-powerful. God the Son has an additional attribute of a dual nature as truly human and truly God both co-existing together.

While this doctrine is commonly taught in Christianity, the word "Trinity" does not actually occur in the Bible. It was not until the 4th century, some 400 years after the time of Christ, that the doctrine of the Trinity was developed by the Church and imposed in place of the original belief system.

"Because the Trinity is such an important part of later Christian doctrine, it is striking that the term does not appear in the New Testament. Likewise, the developed concept of three coequal partners in the Godhead found in later creedal formulations cannot be clearly detected within the confines of the canon." (The Oxford Companion to the Bible "Trinity”, Bruce Metzger and Michael Coogan)

"Neither the word “Trinity” nor the explicit doctrine appears in the New Testament ... The doctrine developed gradually over several centuries and through many controversies ... It was not until later in the 4th century that the distinctness of the three and their unity were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons ... The Council of Nicaea in 325 stated the crucial formula for that doctrine ... Over the next half century, St. Athanasius defended and refined the Nicene formula, and, by the end of the 4th century ... the doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since." (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2023)

“It must be admitted by everyone who has the rudiments of an historical sense that the doctrine of the Trinity, as a doctrine, formed no part of the original message. St. Paul knew it not, and would have been unable to understand the meaning of the terms used in the theological formula on which the Church ultimately agreed.” (God In Christian Thought and Experience, Dr. W. R. Matthews, Dean of St. Paul’s)

God is One

In contrast to this, God's declaration through Moses was, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4). This monotheism set the Hebrews apart in a world full of polytheistic beliefs. The Trinity formed no part of Jewish belief, so if this was the truth about God why did they not know about it?

“Having affirmed the existence of God, Judaism really lays down only one basic idea about Him which is a recognised dogma – the Unity of God. ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One.’ This is immediately a negation of the polytheism of the ancient world with its numerous deities… It is also a clear denial of the idea of a trinity – three gods in One which is the established doctrine of Christianity. For Judaism there can be absolutely no compromise at all in this fundamental concept of the Only One God who is the ultimate creative source of all life and death, the elements of nature and history and the power behind all forces, physical and spiritual.” (A Guide to Jewish Knowledge, C. Pearl and R. Brookes)

The prophets (Isaiah 45:5; 46:9), the Lord Jesus Christ (John 17:3, Mark 12:29), and the Apostles (Acts 7:32) all proclaimed the same teaching. The early believers were founded on the belief in the unity of God and Jesus as the Son of God, not God the Son.

• “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things … and one Lord Jesus Christ … howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge” (1 Corinthians 8:6–7).

• “There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).

• “One Lord (Jesus Christ) and one God and Father of all” (Ephesians 4:5–6).

• “Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders which God did by him” (Acts 2:22).

• “God is one” (Galatians 3:20).

• Him (Jesus) hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour (Acts 5:31).

• “Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3)

We find Jesus proclaiming to his fellow Israelites, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord." At no point during his ministry does he claim otherwise. In fact, his message clearly and emphatically establishes the relationship between himself and God. This relationship was first announced by the angel to Mary with the words, "He shall be called the Son of the Highest" (Luke 1:32). Jesus himself affirmed this by saying, "I am the Son of God" (John 10:36). When Peter declared, in response to the question, "Who do you say I am?" – "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 16:17).

It is relevant and important to ask why the church, supposedly founded on Peter, would proclaim otherwise. If this same question were posed to a Roman Catholic, would their answer be the same as Peter's? Or would they declare, "You are Christ, God the Son"? A Roman Catholic must indeed answer this way to avoid being "eternally damned" by their church.

The Father and the Son

Jesus was born to "bear witness to the truth," which includes defining his relationship with God - a relationship understood through the terms "father" and "son." The term "son" implies a beginning, a period of non-existence in actuality (though not necessarily in intention). As described in the Bible, "the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise": "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee (Mary), and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). Before this birth, Jesus did not exist except in the mind of the Father.

We have Jesus' own words that establish his position as the son - the beloved, the only beloved son - of God, which contradict the title "God the Son." Jesus said:

• "I can of mine own self do nothing" (John 5:30).

• "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).

• "The Father which sent me" (John 12:49).

• "I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God" (John 20:17).

These statements do not claim equality in power, just as earlier statements did not claim equality in existence.

We do not argue, as some such as the Unitarians do, that Christ was merely a man. On the contrary, the manner of his birth proves a difference. We are born of the will of the flesh and an earthly father; Jesus was born of the will of God and through God's power. Although he was "in all points tempted like as we are," he was "without sin." This cannot be said of any of us, as John writes, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:8). Jesus was unique in his sinless character: "He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth," and he was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners."

He was the manifestation of God. In his character, words, and actions, the influence of the Father was evident, which is why he said, "He that has seen me has seen the Father," and "I and the Father are one." Trinitarians believe this supports their view, but they overlook that Jesus also prayed for his disciples to have the same unity, "That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us" (John 17:21). The Bible teaches not a Trinity, but God manifested in multiplicity. When His purpose is fully revealed on earth, He will be manifested in a multitude of redeemed individuals, with Jesus as the foremost (see Hebrews 2:10–11).

This oneness does not imply co-equality or co-eternity, as these testimonies show. If Christ's oneness with the Father implied co-equality and co-eternity, it must also be true of the disciples.

The fact that Jesus is not equal to the Father is evident in his prayers and teachings. Jesus prayed, "Not my will, but yours be done" (Matthew 26:39). He taught, "My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me" (John 7:16). If Jesus were God, would he pray or teach this way? If he were God, he would claim the Father's will and doctrine as his own. Instead, he declared, "I can do nothing on my own" (John 5:30) and "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).

Jesus the Man

The Bible reveals Jesus not as God the Son, the second person of a Trinity, but as "the man Christ Jesus" (Acts 2:22; 1 Timothy 2:5; Romans 5:15), the "prophet like unto Moses" (Deuteronomy 18:15; Acts 3:22), who was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), "touched with the feeling of our infirmities... in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15), who "learned obedience by the things that he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8), and who "offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared" (Hebrews 5:7), “that having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over hHim” (Romans 6:9). These descriptions do not refer to God.

The Bible presents Jesus as a man who was not given all knowledge about his Father’s plan (Mark 13:32), even after his glorification (Acts 1:7). It shows us a man who was sometimes weary (John 4:6), weeping (John 11:35), and praying for strength. He possessed a nature common to all humanity (Hebrews 2:14), a nature subject to death (Romans 5:12), and in need of redemption (Hebrews 9:12; 13:20). He "strived against sin" (Hebrews 12:4) and triumphed over the flesh. We learn that "God was in Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:19), "strengthening him" (Luke 22:43; Psalm 80:17; Isaiah 11:1–3), "reconciling the world unto Himself." From this, we understand that Jesus was the expression of the Father's love, becoming the Author of eternal salvation for those who trust Him.

The Trinity nullifies the plan and purpose of God, as expressed by Paul: "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). If Christ were "very God" - consubstantial with the Father - how could he truly die? Yet his death was essential to destroy death, the ultimate triumph in God's plan. How could he be tempted in all points like us? This was necessary too, for only by a true victory over real temptation could he manifest perfect obedience to the Father, be found without sin, and thus destroy in himself the power of eternal death. Because he did not sin, "death could not hold him."

The doctrine of the Trinity claims that the Son is coequal with the Father, but this is contradicted by Jesus's cry of abandonment on the cross: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Mark 15:34).

How did the apostles understand and preach about the "only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent"? Peter did not endorse the Trinitarian doctrine. He said, "Ye men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God... whom God hath raised up" (Acts 2:22-24). Paul preached, "For though there be that are called gods... to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him" (1 Corinthians 8:6). And again: "There is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). And again: "One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in you all" (Ephesians 4:5-6).

Paul's teaching further refutes the Trinity. He declared that at the peak of Christ's future triumph, when every enemy has been subdued, "then shall the Son himself be subject unto Him (God) that put all things under him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:28).

This could not be true if Jesus were co-equal with God. The doctrine of the Trinity is false; God is one, not three, and Jesus Christ is His only begotten son.

The Title God Used of Jesus

Some might point out that Jesus Christ is sometimes called "God" in the Bible. For instance, when Thomas saw the risen Christ, he exclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" Does this mean Jesus is the second person of the Trinity? No, because this would contradict many passages showing he is not co-equal with the Father.

Additionally, the same titles are used for angels and men who had a special relationship with the Creator. When we read in Genesis 1:26, "Let us make man in our image," this is not a declaration of two equal gods, nor of three, but refers to a multitude of mighty beings, viz the angels.

This might seem confusing, but consider this, an agent represents the one who employs him, merging his identity with the firm he represents. Similarly, angels and men used God’s name when acting as His agents. Jesus reminded the Jews of this when they accused him of blasphemy for using God's name.

He said, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I said, Ye are gods'? If He (God) called them 'gods' to whom the word of God came, and the Scripture cannot be broken, why do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?" (John 10:34–35).

Jesus was quoting Psalm 82, where the priests and elders of Israel are called "gods" because they acted and spoke in God’s name. Using the title did not make them part of the Godhead, just as it didn’t for Jesus. His reasoning with the Jews made it clear he was not claiming equality with the Father.

Those “to whom the word of God came,” like the priests in Israel, derived their authority from God and were His representatives among the people. They were "gods" by proxy (2 Chronicles 19:6). To stand before the priests was to stand "before the Lord" (Deuteronomy 19:17). Paul taught: "Though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, to us there is but one God, the Father ... and one Lord, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:6). The "gods" besides the Father are His angels and rulers, who assumed the title. For instance, Moses is called "God" (Exodus 7:1; 4:16), and the Father is described as a "God of gods and Lord of lords" (Joshua 22:22).

Any humble believer can attain this high title in a more complete sense than the rulers of Israel, who, though called gods, "died like men" (Psalm 82:6–7). Believers are described as "heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ" (Romans 8:17), rejoicing in the "hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2). Peter taught that believers can become "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and Christ promised to "write" upon those who overcome "the name of my God" (Revelation 3:12). If mortal man can attain the glory, nature, and name of God, surely Jesus can claim the title "God" without being part of the Trinity.

Angels also spoke and acted in God's name without claiming co-equality. One angel, placed over Israel's affairs, was described by God to Moses, "Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for My name is in him" (Exodus 23:20–21).

This angel spoke and acted as God, but it would be absurd to claim he was part of the Trinity. In the age to come, the faithful will be "equal unto the angels" (Luke 20:36) and will act in God's name.

The Holy Spirit

The term "Holy Ghost" often used in the Bible should always be translated as "Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit is the energy or power of God by which all creation came into being and is sustained. While God dwells personally and corporeally in the heavens, His Spirit is spread throughout the universe (Psalm 139:7–12) and is the foundation of all creation (Acts 17:25).

When God’s Holy Spirit was poured out upon men, it enabled them to perform miracles or speak with Divine wisdom. For instance, Micah declared, “I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord” (Micah 3:8), and thus he prophesied about the future. Peter is described as being “filled with the Holy Spirit” and speaking boldly to the people (Acts 4:8). It is clear that he was not filled with the third person of a Trinity.

Cornelius was told that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 10:38). It would be nonsensical to suggest that the first Person of the Trinity anointed the second Person with the third Person. The clear meaning of this can be seen in (Acts 2:22) which describes the same concept.

No, the Holy Spirit relates to God’s power, which was then (but not now) poured out upon men, enabling them to speak foreign languages without learning them or to perform miracles. The prophets were moved by the Spirit to record their teachings (Nehemiah 9:30; 2 Peter 1:21), and God spoke to men through His Son by the same means (Hebrews 1:1). Consequently, the revelation of God’s truth can be described as the spirit-word (see John 6:63; Ephesians 6:17; 1 John 5:7). This spirit is the only one available to men today, but it is still capable of performing miracles by softening hard hearts and aligning them with the Divine will, resulting in a changed way of life (see Galatians 5:22–25).

When Paul visited Ephesus, he encountered certain disciples and asked if they had “received the Holy Spirit.” They replied, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2-3). This proves that they had never heard of the doctrine of the Trinity.

Did Jesus Pre-Exist Before His Birth?

Some Bible verses seem to support the idea that Jesus existed in heaven before his earthly birth. For instance, he said, "I came down from heaven" (John 6:51). What did he mean by this? The context clarifies that he was referring to his divine origin, as a few verses later he says, "It is the spirit that quickeneth..." (John 6:63).

Jesus was born through the intervention of the Holy Spirit on the virgin Mary. The angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). In this sense, Jesus came down from heaven because God was his Father.

While Jesus was in God's mind and purpose from the very beginning, he had no physical existence before his birth from Mary 1900 years ago. God spoke of the coming Lord in the future tense: “I will be his Father, and he shall be My Son” (2 Samuel 7:14), “I will make him My firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth” (Psalm 89:27), and “His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor...” (Isaiah 9:6). If Jesus already existed, God would have used the present tense, “He is my Son, I am his Father,” “He is My firstborn,” and “His name is Wonderful,” etc. The use of the future tense indicates Jesus was not yet in existence except in God's mind and plan.

Jesus Christ was the Seed of the Woman promised in Eden, the Son promised to Abraham, the Prophet promised to Moses, the King promised to David, the Messiah promised to Israel, the Chief among the sons of God, and the Captain of their salvation promised to believers (Hebrews 2:10). As it is written: “When the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the status of sonship” (Galatians 4:4–5).

This is straightforward language. Teaching that Jesus had a prior existence only complicates these words and contradicts Scripture. Moreover, how can Jesus be a model for mortal man if he were a pre-existent angel or the second person of a Trinity? God’s purpose was to manifest His righteousness in a man of our nature, whose perfect character would ensure a resurrection to life eternal (Acts 2:24). By this means, he points the way for us to conquer both sin and death.

Paul declared, “Forasmuch then as the children (ie, sons of God - believers unto salvation) are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14).

If Jesus were an angel or the second person of a Trinity, he would not partake of flesh and blood, he could not have died (cp. Luke 20:36), he would not be a representative man, and therefore he would not qualify as a sacrifice for sin unto salvation.

Adapted from “The Bible Today and You” by H W Hathaway and “Key to Understanding the Scriptures” by H P Mansfield