When a leading theologian and churchman confided that there’s no scriptural support for the belief of the “Trinity”, I didn’t know whether he was joking or for real. He was serious. The Trinity (God as three distinct persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit) often appears as the primary doctrine of mainstream Christianity. And, yet when you study the writings of the apostles, you can clearly see quite a different case. John wrote, for example, “Yes, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)
So where did the triune concept come from? Is it a valid belief, or does it go beyond what scripture tells us? It is worth a careful study of the scriptures. The Holy Spirit given to us will take what is Jesus’ and make it known.
#1 by John Klassek - May 12th, 2007 at 21:30
Some years ago we presented a MessageWeek film clip on the subject of the Trinity, and did so very carefully considering the theological shifts within some denominations. The above weblog simply asks those questions again, this time a little more directly. Perhaps it’s time to present another short film on this pivotal subject.
There’s quite a lot of reading available on the internet on the subject.
http://www.2001translation.com/Trinity.html
http://www.revelations.org.za/WrongTrinity.htm
http://cfmin.wordpress.com/2007/04/24/trinity-part-05-scriptures-that-are-used-to-support-the-trinity-doctrine/
http://www.ucg.org.au/transcripts/trinity.asp
http://www.ucg.org/papers/NatureofGod.pdf
http://www.gnmagazine.org/booklets/WG/holyspirit.htm
The reoccurring assertion in many of these articles is that the triune nature of God is not supported in scripture, but was added later, as formalised by Constantine.
#2 by John Klassek - August 29th, 2007 at 21:18
Renowned atheist Richard Dawkins taunted orthodox Christianity when he referred to the Trinity, among other non-Biblical beliefs as, “recurrent flirtation with polytheism towards runaway inflation.” (The God Delusion, Richard Dawkins, 2006)
#3 by John Klassek - November 29th, 2008 at 17:25
A friend recently wrote to me: “I just read your comments on the Trinty on your blog site. But sorry to say you completly lost me on your conclusion. Cant you explane it in a more simple way?”
My reply is perhaps an good lead-in to this subject, as we have been working on this film for some time:
Great to hear from you and thanks for your comments.
We have a film transcript on the subject of the Trinity that we’ll soon be filming — and hopefully we’ll be able to simplify the issues and propose a careful, Biblically-correct understanding on this subject.
Proponents of the Trinity doctrine admit that it is the most difficult doctrine to prove from the Bible alone, and yet it is usually stated as the primary doctrine in many Christian creeds and faith statements!
I think the safest path in this 1600 year old discussion is to lean heavily on what we do understand through the words of Jesus, and the understanding of the early Christian church as found in the writings of the apostles. John, for example in 1 John 1:3 summarises the oneness of our relationship with God: “that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
[To attempt to go beyond what is explicity stated in the scriptures is indeed a dangerous path, and we look forward to exploring this intriguing subject in a series of films the months ahead. I appreciate my friend writing and asking for answers].