Dozens of Questions For Those Who Believe in the Trinity

If the Trinity Doctrine is a Bible teaching...

1. Then why do NUMEROUS encyclopedias agree that

"... the doctrine of the Trinity was of gradual and comparatively late formation; that it had its origin in a source entirely foreign from that of the Jewish and Christian scriptures; that it grew up, and was ingrafted on Christianity"? – p. 34, The Church of the First Three Centuries, Alvan Lamson, D.D.

2. Then why do many encyclopedias, dictionaries and other sources (including Sir Isaac Newton) agree that the "Trinity was a pagan corruption imposed on Christianity in the fourth century by Athanasius" and 2 Roman Emperors?

3. Then why does the Bible consistently identify God by singular person pronouns: "I, "Me," "He, and "Him" instead of "We", "Us", "They" or "Them"?

4. Then why does 2 Cor. 13:14 say that the Lord Jesus Christ is one individual, the holy spirit is another individual (whether a person or a thing), and that "GOD" IS ANOTHER DIFFERENT INDIVIDUAL?

5. Then why is there not even one scripture which clearly defines the Trinity?

6. Then why is there not even one scripture of a vision, dream, or CLEAR description wherein God is shown as three persons?

7. Then why is there not even one scripture where God is described using the word "three"?

 
If Jesus is Almighty God...

1. Then why is "God the head of Christ just as Christ is head of every man"? (1 Cor. 11:3)

2. Then why does Scripture consistently phrase Jesus as a separate person from God? (John 20:17; John 14:1; Mark 10:18; John 17:1-3; etc. Also in heaven, 1 Cor. 11:3; Luke 22:69; etc.)

3. Then how can Jesus have a God? Could Almighty God have a God? (Mic. 5:4; Ps. 45:6, 7; 89:26; John 20:17; Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; Eph 1:3; Col 1:3; Mark 15:34; John 17:1-3; Also in heaven, Rev. 1:6; 3:2, 12)

4. Then why does Scripture say he was born and is part of Creation? (Col. 1:15)

5. Then why does Rev. 3:14 say that Jesus is "the beginning of the creation of God"?

6. Then why is he subject to GOD, like we're subject to him? (1 Cor. 15:27, 28; Eph. 1:17)

7. Then why does Micah 5:2 say that Jesus' ORIGIN was “from early times”?

8. Then why does Jesus not know what God knows? (Matt. 24:36, Rev.1:1; Luke 8:45)

9. Then why is Jesus still subject to God when he is as high as he will ever be? (1 Cor. 15:27, 28)

10. Then why does Proverbs 8:22-31 show that the Messiah was CREATED / PRODUCED by God?

11. Then why is he not powerful enough to subject things to himself? (1 Cor. 15:27, Eph. 1:17, 22)

12. Then why would he have to be given any power and authority? (Mt. 28:18; 11:27; Jn. 5:22; 17:2; 3:35; 2 Pet. 1:17)

13. Then why did he have to learn anything? (Heb. 5:8; John 5:19; 8:28)

14. Then why is speaking against him not as bad as speaking against the Holy Spirit? (Mt. 12:31,32; Luke 12:10)

15. Then why did Jesus call the "Father...the only true God"? (John 17:1, 3)

16. Then why did he need to be saved? (Heb. 5:7; John 12:27)

17. Then why did he have to be exalted to Leader and Savior? (Acts 5:31)

18. Then how could he be exalted and given a higher name than he had? (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:2-4)

19. Then why did he have to be given life in himself? (John 5:25,26)

20. Then how can the Father be greater than he? (John 14:28)

21. Then how could Jesus be tempted by Satan when God cannot be tempted with evil? (James 1:13)

22. Then why did he worship the Father? (John 4:22)

23. Then why can he not do anything on his own? (John 5:19; 6:38)

24. Then why would he pray to anybody? (Luke 22:44; John 17:1,2; Heb. 5:7)

25. Then why does John 1:18 (cf. Jn 3:16, 18) say that Jesus is God's "only BEGOTTEN Son"? ASV

26. Then how can he be God's servant? (Acts 4:26,27,30)

27. Then how could he receive strength from an angel? (Luke 22:43)

28. Then how could he be a mediator between God and man? (1 Tim. 2:5)

29. Then how could he be with God (ho theos)? (John 1:1)

30. Then how can he be God's image? (Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3)

31. Then why is he called the agency (dia) of creation and not the Originator (ek)? (1 Cor. 8:6; John 1:1-3; Prov. 8:30; Heb. 2:10; Col. 1:15,16)

32. Then why did Jesus say GOD was "good" in a way that Jesus was not? (Mark 10:18)

33. Then why does he have an archangel's voice instead of God's voice? (1 Thess. 4:16)

34. Then why is the only "worship" given to him the same given to humans? (Heb. 1:6, cf. Mt. 18:26; Rev. 3:9 - "Proskuneo")

35. Then why do many who believe this rely on a few selected, so-called 'proof-texts' instead of the context of the consistent teaching of the entire Bible?

36. Then how could he get commanded to do anything? (John 12:49; Deut. 18:18)

37. Then why did Steven see two separate entities, GOD and Jesus, and not just one God or three persons? (Acts 7:55)

38. Then how could he be seen at GOD's right hand? (Luke 22:69; Acts 7:55; Rom. 8:34)

39. Then how could Jesus be exalted (not to become God Himself, but) to the position at the "right hand OF God"? (Acts 2:33)

40. Then why would he have to receive a revelation from God? (Rev.1:1)

41. Then why is he called God's "begotten" Son before he came to earth? (John 3:16; Gal. 4:4; 1 John 4:9)

42. Then how could he have a Father? (John 20:17)

43. Then how could he come in the flesh? (1 Kings 8:27; Acts 17:24,25)

44. Then why did he not come in his own name? (John 5:41-44)

45. Then why did Jesus "come down from heaven to do" God's will and not his own will? (Luke 22:42; John 6:38; John 5:30; John 8:42)

46. Then how could he appear before GOD? (Heb. 9:24)

47. Then how could he die? Can God die? Can part of God die? (Rom. 5:10; Acts 5:30; 1 Cor. 15:3; Hab.1:12; cf. 1 Tim. 6:16; Num. 23:19; Ps. 90:2; Dan. 6:25-26)

48. Then why is it that God resurrected Jesus? (Acts 2:32)

49. Then why was he seen by men if "no man has seen God at any time"? (John 1:18)

50. Then why is there not one clear scripture where Jesus is called "God the Son," (equal to those declaring "God, the Father)?

51. Then why does the last Gospel writer not tell us so in his final conclusion? 
John 20:31 John's final conclusion



IF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS ALMIGHTY GOD...

1. Then why do quotes from Trinitarians admit that the Holy Spirit is not God but rather is a force from God?

2. Then why would Jews instructed in the Old Testament scriptures and in the teachings of John the Baptist, NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS? (Acts 19:2)

3. Then why isn't the Holy Spirit given equal description in the Bible?

4. Then why didn't Jesus ever teach that the Holy Spirit was God along with the Father and Son?

5. Then why does the Bible describe the Holy Spirit as an "it"? (Is. 34:16 ASV, KJV; Numbers 11:17, 25 ASV, KJV, RSV, NRSV, AT, LB, NEB, REB, NAB, JB, NJB; and Romans 8:16, 26 in the KJV.)

6. Then why does the Bible describe the Holy Spirit as a thing that can be poured out into portions? (Acts 2:17, 18, 33; Numbers 11:17, 25)

7. Then why is the holy spirit nameless and indistinguishable from all of the other holy spirits?

8. Then why did the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD disregard the Holy Spirit as a member of the Godhead when they declared Jesus to be 'God' in 325 AD? Why did they wait until the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD to include the Holy Spirit in the formula?

9. Then wouldn't the water and blood be persons too according to Trinitarian reasoning and 1 John 5:8?

10. Then why is it sandwiched between a list of QUALITIES at 2 Cor. 6:6?

11. Then why does the NT Greek Lexicon describes the Holy Spirit as "this" at Acts 2:33?

12. Then why is it that nowhere in the Bible is the Holy Spirit ever said to be an equal member of a trinity?

13. Then why is it that nowhere is it mentioned in the Bible the words, "God, the Holy Spirit," or "The Holy Spirit is God"?

14. Then why is it that there is never mentioned a vision, dream or clear description in scripture wherein God and the Holy Spirit are shown as the same person?

Is God comprised of three persons, or is He just one person?

What is the Trinity?

Page 630 of Today's Dictionary of the Bible, Bethany House Publishers, 1982 defines it:

"Trinity, a word not found in Scripture but used to express the doctrine of the unity of God as subsisting in three distinct persons."

And the Encyclopedia Britannica Online:

"In Christian doctrine, the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as one God in three persons."

But does the Bible really portray God "as subsisting in three distinct persons"?

No. The Scriptures clearly show that God is only one person and that person is identified as the Father:

"There is actually to us one God the Father.” (1 Cor. 8:5, 6)

"Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah." (Deut. 6:4) ASV

It is interesting that even some trinitarian scholars apparently (inadvertently?) admit that Gal. 3:20 shows God to be one person.

You should be aware, however, that some trinitarian Bibles translate Gal. 3:20 as “a mediator is not for one party only; whereas God is only one.” - NASB. The underlined words (“party” and “only”) are not in the original text, but certain trinitarians insist that something like “party” has to be understood in order for God to be three persons [a “party”] and not just one person.

However, even some trinitarian translators don’t believe such a translation of Gal. 3:20 is correct. For example, the Roman Catholic New American Bible (1970) renders Gal. 3:20 as:

“Now there can be no mediator when only one person is involved; and God is one [heis - masculine singular].”

And the highly trinitarian Good News Bible (GNB) renders it:

“a go-between is not needed when only one person is involved; and God is one.” - also TEV.

Even the extremely trinitarian The Amplified Bible, which often goes to incredible lengths in its attempt to produce trinitarian “proof” scriptures, renders Gal. 3:20 as:

“there can be no mediator with just one person. Yet God is [only] one PERSON.”

For more, see:
God is one, not three

Are there many gods, or is there only one God?

Trinity Indexes

Examining Trinity 'Proof Texts'

Search For Bible Truths - ARCHIVE 

Scriptures Index

Search For Bible Truths - Search Guide  

How does the Coptic text render John 1:1?

"In the beginning existed the Word, and the Word existed with God, and the Word was a God." (The Coptic Gospel of John 1:1-14)

The Coptic language (unlike the Greek) used an indefinite article ("a" or "an" in English).

The Sahidic Coptic translation uses an indefinite article with the word 'god' in the final part of John 1:1 and when rendered into modern English, the translation reads: 'And the Word was a god.'

For more, see:
What is the Coptic Language and why is it important?

The Importance of the Sahidic Coptic Version

John 1:1 and the Coptic Versions

Coptic John 1:1

John 1:1c - English translation: "The Word was a god."

Is the New World Translation the only Bible to phrase John 1:1c as "the Word was A God"?

Is Jesus God?

Even Trinitarian sources admit that Jesus is not God:

"The formulation 'one God in three Persons' was not solidly established, certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that has first claim to the title the Trinitarian dogma. Among the Apostolic Fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective." - The New Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XIV, p. 299, (1967).

"Neither the word Trinity, nor the explicit doctrine as such, appears in the New Testament, nor did Jesus and his followers intend to contradict the Shema in the Old Testament: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord' (Deut. 6:4)" - The New Encyclopedia Britannica

The Bible says that "the head of the Christ is God." (1 Cor. 11:3)

Jesus himself called the "Father... the only true God." (John 17:1-3)

The Bible says that the Father is Jesus' God: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," (1 Pet.1:3); `I am ascending to my Father and YOUR Father and to my God and YOUR God.'" (John 20:17); Also see what Jesus said at Rev. 3:12.

Jesus is the "Firstborn of all creation" thus making him created by God and not God himself. (Col. 1:15)

Jesus was the first thing created by God. He was "the beginning of the creation of God." - Rev. 3:14, KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB, NKJV, MLB, Douay, Byington, Rotherham, Lattimore, Lamsa, Phillips, Darby, Webster

Jesus had a beginning...an origin. The Bible says that his "ORIGIN is from of old, from ancient days."- Micah 5:2 - RSV, cf. JB, NEB, REB, NAB, NIV, AT, Mo, NRSV, NJB, Byington, and Young's.)
 
For much more, see the Index.

What is the Holy Spirit?

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word most frequently used for "spirit" is ru'ach, meaning "breath; wind; spirit." Having a similar meaning in the Greek Scriptures, the word is pneu'ma.

Some claim that the holy spirit is a person or even God Himself. Yet nowhere in the Bible is the Holy Spirit called "God, the Holy Spirit." Instead, the way that the Bible uses the term "holy spirit" indicates that it is God's active force that He uses to accomplish a variety of His purposes. Even many trinitarian scholars will admit this. For example, The Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 269, 1976, admits: "In the OT the Holy Spirit means a divine power." (For many more quotes, see "Quotes: Holy Spirit is a Force from God, Trinitarians Admit".)

Genesis 1:2 says that "God's active force ["spirit" (Hebrew, ru'ach)] was moving to and fro over the surface of the waters." This shows that God's spirit was his active force working to form the earth.

The Bible says that God's spirit can also supply "power beyond what is normal" to those who serve him. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

It is also recorded that God's spirit empowered the disciples of Jesus to do miraculous things: "Suddenly there occurred from heaven a noise just like that of a rushing stiff breeze, . . . and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance." (Acts 2:1-4)

Some have isolated a few so-called 'proof-texts' from the Bible which they claim show the Holy Spirit as being a person or God Himself. However, close examination show that these 'proof-texts' do not hold up under scrutiny.

For much more, see
The Holy Spirit—God's Active Force

Is the Holy Spirit a Person?

Examining Holy Spirit 'Proof-Texts'

Holy Spirit

Is the Holy Spirit really God?