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The Trinity defined
A summary of the Trinity doctrine would be: there is One God called the Father. Who in eternity begets the Son, a person who is also God. He is God just as we are human because our father is human. And the Holy Spirit person is also God because he proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The New Testament reveals the Trinity many times and the early church taught it. Some of the more famous Trinitarians were Justin Martyr who authored a Trinitarian plea dated about 155 AD. Another, Athanasius of Alexandria c.298 - 373 AD. The chief defender of Trinirarianism against Arianism. And in its most complete statement, the Nicene Creed (325 AD), to name a few.
But theories developed that challenged the accepted doctrines. To preserve the truth for posterity, the Catholic Church held debates to settle the true doctrine. They documented the results in what we call the Ecumenical Creeds.
Some of these were: The apostle’s Creed. The Nicene Creed. The Athanasian Creed. The Council of Ephesus in 431. And the Chalcedonian Definition in 451. All provided clear definitions in the first centuries of the Church. The heresies didn’t die out but received a warning label for us to heed.
Some of the ancient heresies prevalent today are Modal Monarchianism and Sabellianism. Represented by Oneness Pentecostalism. Especially through the United Pentecostal Church and the Apostolic Pentecostal Church. This doctrine states there is one God, a singular divine person, who changes into the Father, or into the Son, or into the Holy Ghost. Depending on the circumstances.
Ebionism and Gnosticism survived, now represented by Unitarianism and Socinianism. Unitarian Christians therefore, believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings, and he is a savior, but he was not a deity or God incarnate.
And Arianism represented by the Jehovah’s’ Witnesses. They say; “…we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.”
This is important because John says:
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:3 (KJV 1900)
All deny Jesus Christ came in the flesh by rejecting the trinity. Jesus Christ in the bible is the trinity. So to deny the trinity is to say a false Christ came in his place, showing the work of the spirit of Antichrist in the heart.
An innocent misunderstanding of the trinity is OK up to a point:
Many new believers have little experience in bible reading. But in time the trinity becomes obvious without teaching on the subject. Scripture calls the Father God. And it calls his Son God by saying he is the Son of the Father. And the Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of God in many passages.
But many fail to catch this, so they say the trinity does not exist. When shown the basic Trinitarian passages, many of these cannot see the trinity in the simplest passages.
Seeing the Trinity is as easy as 123. The following passage boldly proclaims the trinity. Here’s how. Jesus said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the [singular] name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19 (KJV 1900)
Notice the singular name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? How did the disciples understand this command? “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38 (KJV 1900) So here the one name of God, Jesus Christ, contains the three persons of God.
Another example is Jesus’ baptism. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16–17 (KJV 1900). In this passage we see all three persons of God present at once, ruling out modalism.
Christendom
The trinity doctrine came from scripture and passed from generation to generation. But many failing to see it claim it is not there. And set out teaching their ideas instead.
In time the creeds found the various alternative views lacking and labeled them heresies. These same creeds have endured the test of time and continue to unify all of Christendom in her essential beliefs. All who reject these creeds fall into a cult or sect classification. These are cults of Christendom but not considered part of Christendom.
A summary of the Trinity doctrine would be: there is One God called the Father. Who in eternity begets the Son, a person who is also God. He is God just as we are human because our father is human. And the Holy Spirit person is also God because he proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The New Testament reveals the Trinity many times and the early church taught it. Some of the more famous Trinitarians were Justin Martyr who authored a Trinitarian plea dated about 155 AD. Another, Athanasius of Alexandria c.298 - 373 AD. The chief defender of Trinirarianism against Arianism. And in its most complete statement, the Nicene Creed (325 AD), to name a few.
But theories developed that challenged the accepted doctrines. To preserve the truth for posterity, the Catholic Church held debates to settle the true doctrine. They documented the results in what we call the Ecumenical Creeds.
Some of these were: The apostle’s Creed. The Nicene Creed. The Athanasian Creed. The Council of Ephesus in 431. And the Chalcedonian Definition in 451. All provided clear definitions in the first centuries of the Church. The heresies didn’t die out but received a warning label for us to heed.
Some of the ancient heresies prevalent today are Modal Monarchianism and Sabellianism. Represented by Oneness Pentecostalism. Especially through the United Pentecostal Church and the Apostolic Pentecostal Church. This doctrine states there is one God, a singular divine person, who changes into the Father, or into the Son, or into the Holy Ghost. Depending on the circumstances.
Ebionism and Gnosticism survived, now represented by Unitarianism and Socinianism. Unitarian Christians therefore, believe that Jesus was inspired by God in his moral teachings, and he is a savior, but he was not a deity or God incarnate.
And Arianism represented by the Jehovah’s’ Witnesses. They say; “…we do not worship Jesus, as we do not believe that he is Almighty God.”
This is important because John says:
“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.” 1 John 4:3 (KJV 1900)
All deny Jesus Christ came in the flesh by rejecting the trinity. Jesus Christ in the bible is the trinity. So to deny the trinity is to say a false Christ came in his place, showing the work of the spirit of Antichrist in the heart.
An innocent misunderstanding of the trinity is OK up to a point:
Many new believers have little experience in bible reading. But in time the trinity becomes obvious without teaching on the subject. Scripture calls the Father God. And it calls his Son God by saying he is the Son of the Father. And the Holy Spirit is known as the Spirit of God in many passages.
But many fail to catch this, so they say the trinity does not exist. When shown the basic Trinitarian passages, many of these cannot see the trinity in the simplest passages.
Seeing the Trinity is as easy as 123. The following passage boldly proclaims the trinity. Here’s how. Jesus said: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the [singular] name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:19 (KJV 1900)
Notice the singular name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? How did the disciples understand this command? “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” Acts 2:38 (KJV 1900) So here the one name of God, Jesus Christ, contains the three persons of God.
Another example is Jesus’ baptism. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16–17 (KJV 1900). In this passage we see all three persons of God present at once, ruling out modalism.
Christendom
The trinity doctrine came from scripture and passed from generation to generation. But many failing to see it claim it is not there. And set out teaching their ideas instead.
In time the creeds found the various alternative views lacking and labeled them heresies. These same creeds have endured the test of time and continue to unify all of Christendom in her essential beliefs. All who reject these creeds fall into a cult or sect classification. These are cults of Christendom but not considered part of Christendom.
