The term "trinity" is divisive and causes confusion.
The early believers never used the term and therefore there was no divisiveness regarding such a line of thinking.
The
term "trinity" was invented by theologians in an attempt to fit God
into their predetermined theological framework, something that is
totally unnecessary to do.
Jesus Christ is simply the "Son of God," the "Word made flesh," the agency through which all things were made.
Word = Logos
Logos
in the Greek denotes the "spoken word" or "expression." The term
denotes "reason" or "thought" and is where the English word "logic" is
derived.
Jesus is simply the expression of God to humanity in the
form of a human being. The Bible describes God as being both spirit and
incomprehensible. God, in sending forth His Son, expressed Himself
directly to humanity in the form of a human being (Son of Man) thus
setting forth the perfect example of the nature and principle of God,
that which is love. A love that is only truly manifested through the
Spirit (ie. God Himself).
Jesus spoke of the Holy Spirit as a
separate entity and yet at the same time identified Himself as the Holy
Spirit, something which those whom uphold the Trinity completely
overlook.
Joh 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
Joh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
Joh
14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because
it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you.
Joh 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
Joh 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
Joh 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
Joh
14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that
loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will
love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Jesus was the Spirit
of Truth whom dwelt with the Apostles and it is the Spirit of Truth whom
dwells in God's people, Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Both
the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ are simply expressions of God the
Father. Not a Trinity, simply ONE GOD whom has expressed Himself in time
and space that we can comprehend.
If we keep it simple we can
avoid the confusion and divisiveness. The early believers never mandated
some systematic approach to explaining God lest one be a heretic. They
simply taught that Jesus was the Son of God and that it was through Him
that all men might be saved, and preached the Cross as the means.
Think about it.
Scott
I agree with you! In fact the Trinity was a doctrine decided at the Nicene council - so apparently prior to this event some believed in One God while others believed in a kind of trinity.
ReplyDeleteModalism
ReplyDeleteI have heard of that term,God can do whatever he wants as His ways are not our ways. Jesus was a Jew, and Jews were monotheists. (Deut. 6:4,5.). God the Father is the One True God and Jesus (God incarnate) and the Holy Spirit (the power of God) are expressions of God.
ReplyDeleteNo, Tess is right this is Modalism. It's also lacking a real investigation of what the early church believed.
ReplyDeleteThey believed exactly what scripture states. Phil 2:6-11
Christ has equality with God.
Heb 1, through Him *all things* are made. Did he make himself?
Or 1 and 2 John which warn that denial of the Godhead, is the spirit of the antichrist
The Godhead is not the Trinity. I believe in the Godhead - Jesus is God in the flesh, so when Jesus said "if you've seen me, you've seen the Father" he was stating he was Divine. According to the Bible, no one has ever seen or heard God the Father, except Jesus. God is spirit.
DeleteLovely explanation, thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell done for stating your understanding.
ReplyDeleteTo the person who said the Trinity was a doctrine established at the Nicene council (325CE), this is incorrect. The inclusion of the Holy spirit to the plurality of the Father and the Son was not fully stated in a creed until the council of Constantinople (381CE). Between 325CE and 381CE, there were still divisions regarding what was decreed in the Nicene creed. Also, the Trinity doctrine from 381CE is not the same as has been further stated in the Westminster Confession. There are several variants of the Trinity, so a person stating they are a Trinitarian could mean something slightly different to among different sects.
Those that have or are studying the pre-nicene father's will encounter subordination Alison, where The Father is greater than The Son, whom the Father has given all authority to, but is still subject to the Father (1Cor15:24-28). This really isn't difficult to grasp. The New testament scriptures say so several times, so to say the Son is co-equal is already not understanding the source of ALL eternal Life, which is from The One True God The Father, which Jesus also confirmed when stating the greatest commandments to the scribe (Mk12:29-34).
There is One invisible inherently Immortal God, who is Life-giving Spirit. The Holy Spirit of the Father fully dwells IN the now glorified Body of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom believers receive the divine nature from the last Adam.
This is why the Holy Spirit a believer receives is BOTH the Father and the Son (ponder on John14:10, 14:23, 17:21, Col3:3). Also why Paul in his salutations ONLY mentions God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ...and NOT the Holy Spirit! That's because the Holy Spirit is BOTH, NOT a separate entity (person) separate from the Father and the Son which the trinity doctrine specifically states(!).
To say the Holy Spirit is NOT the Spirit of the Father and is NOT the Spirit of the Son, actually DENIES both the Father and the Son dwelling IN a believer!
Christ dwells IN a believer! The anointing is from The Father, but after Jesus' resurrection by the Father and being made a life-quickening spirit (glorified to immortality)...The Father now justifies a believer IN the Body of Christ by 'The Faith' of the Son of God, because Jesus by his own suffering and obedience to the Spirit of his Father that dwelled IN him was made perfect and was declared the Righteousness of God; hence why when we OBEY the Spirit that dwells IN us, we are living by the Faith of the Son of God, who is the express image of the One True God, the Father!
For a person on this site who privately implied I was an antichrist because quite frankly they appeared not to understand the relationship of the Father and Son through the Holy Spirit. I will say this.
Jesus is fully divine. I never stated that he wasn't! However, being fully divine does NOT make Jesus co-eternal, nor co-equal as The Father. The man Jesus was created by God through His Holy Spirit and was made an immortal Life-quickening spirit after his fulfilled ministry.
A believer also receives the divine nature of God through Jesus and IF they endure IN The Faith (walking in obedience to the Faith of the Son of God), then we also will be conformed to the image of the Son and be glorified to an immortal son or daughter(!). Does this also make us God, because we have the fullness of God IN us? No, of course not. Our eternal Life comes from the One True God through our Lord!
The western Trinity is fatally flawed in its doctrine. The eastern creed is more accurate. Stating Jesus as the only begotten God is a reasonable position, as Jesus was the only person born directly by the Spirit of the Father in the womb if a women.
So much more to say. I will say that I do NOT call Trinitarians antichrists because they fail to understand the implications of their own doctrine; but, I do find them NOT getting how a believer is justified IN the new covenant!
God bless