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Is the Holy Trinity a flawed man-made
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The Greek word that was translated into English as "depart from" is aphistemi (Strong's G868) pronounced ä-fe'-sta-me meaning ... 1)
to make stand off, cause to withdraw, to remove |
Some use
this portion of Scripture to accuse those of us who
embrace the Apostles' One God Monotheistic Doctrine, as
opposed to the Holy Trinity, as being the ones who are
being described above. However, what should be determined
is who said and did what ... and when did they say and do
it. First off, we know the "foot print followers"
of our Lord Jesus Christ had it right! If anybody has
ever had it right, they had it right. And, no where do we
find where they were authorized to come up with anything
other than what Jesus gave them. By the way, Jesus did
NOT leave them with a bunch of pages with a lot of blanks
on them, which would have to be filled out a couple
centuries later, either. Therefore, what they embraced
and taught was "first". Any thing other than
that came along later, period!
Paul being as bold and blunt as he was, put it this way
...
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other
gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you,
let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than
that ye have received, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8-9)
Again, the Apostle Paul admonished Timothy, "Preach
the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove,
rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For
the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables." (2 Timothy 4:2-4)
The
Greek word that was translated into English as
"endure" is anecho (Strong's G430)
pronounced 1)
to hold up |
Many are
taught, firmly believe and will adamantly defend a
position, that the doctrine of the Holy Trinity comes
straight from the pages of the Bible, itself. When, in
fact, the word "Holy" is the only part that can
be found in the Bible. The word "Trinity" can't
be found in a single solitary Scripture in the entire
King James Version of the Holy Bible. Neither did anyone
in the entire King James Version of the Holy Bible ever
refer to God or the Godhead with these words, "One
God in three persons", as multitudes do today.
With such a widely accepted belief, and millions just
going with the flow, the crowd has to be right, right?
Well, let's see what Jesus had to say in Matthew 7:13-14
... "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the
gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction,
and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is
the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life,
and few there be that find it."
Folks, it's time for a "gut level" reality
check. According to the greatest Teacher ever to walk
upon Planet Earth, when it comes to spiritual matters ...
THE CROWD IS WRONG!
Not one single solitary person in the entire Bible ever
used the following terms ...
"One God in three persons",
"God the Son",
"God the Holy Ghost" (or Holy Spirit),
"The Holy Trinity"
So, how and when did the doctrine of the Holy Trinity
come into existence? And, why is it so widely accepted,
today? Those two questions are certainly valid ones, and
deserve serious examination and consideration.
Encyclopedia International, 1975 Edition, Vol.18, p.226 -
The doctrine of the "Trinity" did not form part
of the apostles' preaching, as this is reported in the
New Testament.
New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967 Edition, Vol.13, p.1021 -
The first use of the Latin word "trinitas" (trinity)
with reference to God, is found in Tertullian's writings
(about 213 A.D.) He was the first to use the term "persons"
(plural) in a Trinitarian context.
Encyclopedia Americana, 1957 Edition, Vol.27, p.69 - The
word "Trinity" is not in Scripture. The term
"persons" (plural) is not applied in Scripture
to the Trinity.
World Book Encyclopedia, 1975 Edition, Vol. T, p.363 -
Belief in Father, Son and Holy Ghost was first defined by
the earliest general council of churches. This was the
First Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D.
New International Encyclopedia, Vol.22, p.476 - The
Catholic faith is this: We worship one God in Trinity,
but there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son
and another of the Holy Ghost. The Glory equal - the
Majesty co-eternal. The doctrine is not found in its
fully developed form in the Scriptures. Modern theology
does not seek to find it in the Old Testament. At the
time of the Reformation the Protestant Church took aver
the doctrine of the Trinity without serious examination.
Life Magazine, October 30, 1950, Vol.29, No.18, p.51 -
The Catholics made this statement concerning their
doctrine of the Trinity, to defend the dogma of the
assumption of Mary, in an article written by Graham
Greene: "Our opponents sometimes claim that no
belief should be held dogmatically which is not
explicitly stated in Scripture... But the PROTESTANT
CHURCHES have themselves accepted such dogmas as THE
TRINITY, for which there is NO SUCH PRECISE AUTHORITY in
the Gospels"
Many use the human reasoning and logic that the non-Biblical
words "trinity", "triune" or "persons"
(pertaining to God and/or the Godhead) should be accepted
just as the words "rapture" and "Bible"
are .... or even the word "sandwich" (for that
matter). And, even though "sandwich" is not a
Biblical word, I know they're real 'cause I ate one
yesterday. So, my point ... or my question ... is, what
Biblical words could be used in the place of the words
"trinity", "triune" OR "persons"
pertaining to God and/or the Godhead? I wouldn't have any
trouble at all finding Biblical words to use in the place
of "sandwich", "rapture" and "Bible".
They are: "bread" and "meat", "caught
up" "Word of God" and "book".
Now, if those who embrace the man-made theory of the
Trinity can find any words that will do for "truine",
"persons" or "trinity" what the words
"bread" and "meat", "caught up"
"Word of God" and "book" will do for
"sandwich", "rapture" and "Bible",
I would love to see them. Unless or until they can, I
suggest that they stop adding to or taking from (depending
on how you look at it) the Word of God by embracing, as
dogmatically held doctrine, a theory which is NOT
specifically mentioned in the Bible ... and without any
Biblical words which could serve as a substitute to
describe a "tag-team of wrestlers". And, while
the Bible does NOT authorize a belief in three "persons"
who jointly form One God, it does accurately describe God
as the Father in Creation, the Son in Redemption and the
Holy Spirit living in the hearts of believers throughout
the New Testament Church Age. There is more Scriptural to
support three "forms" of God ... three "manifestations"
of God ... three "titles" of God ... three
"offices/positions" which God holds or ...
three "roles" in which God functions ... than
there is THREE PERSONS of God. That is strictly a flawed
theory!
If it’s a matter of semantics, "one God in
three persons" is an "add on" that people
would be wise to just leave off.
I can very accurately be described as a father, son and
husband ... or a teacher, student and administrator.
While I function in more than one capacity and occupy
more than one office, and wear a number of different hats,
I am still just ONE person. As a matter of fact, I can be
in the same room with, and in the presence of, my mother,
my wife and my daughters, and I can speak, act and
function as a father, son and husband without anybody
getting confused as to how many persons I am or who is
talking.
English was my worst subject in school, but I do remember
a few things. For illustration purposes only, it is not
proper to link the singular pronoun "He", which
refers to one "person", to verbs like: "see",
"hear" and "warn" ... which would
look like this ... "He see", "He hear"
and "He warn". When using the singular pronoun
"He", it is necessary to use the verbs "sees",
"hears" and "warns" ... "He SEES",
"He HEARS" and "He WARNS". In order
to use the verbs "see", "hear" and
"warn", you must use a noun or pronoun which is
"plural" and identifies "more" than
one person like, "People" ... "People see",
"People hear" and "People warn". Yet,
intelligent people who know this rule, but who have been
indoctrinated to believe that there are three "persons"
of God, ignore this rule when it comes to the word "GOD"
(the Hebrew word Elohim).
**IF** the word "GOD" (Elohim) identifies more
than one "person", as the trinitarians insist,
the Bible should read like this, "God SEE",
"God HEAR" and "God WARN" ... AND IT
DOESN'T! The word "GOD" is never linked to a
verb like that. Instead, the word "GOD" is
ALWAYS linked to verbs just as the word "He" (a
singular person) is ... like this, "God SEES",
"God HEARS" and "God WARNS". Again, I
use these particular words for illustration purposes only,
but I hope I have made my point ... and that it's CLEAR.
Men started "reading" things into the
Scriptures a couple centuries or so AFTER Jesus ascended
back up into Heaven, and after the "foot print
followers" of our Lord had passed on. As a result,
there has evolved all sorts of religious beliefs and
denominations. However, in order to get people to stop
and think about a few things, I use the Clark Kent/Superman
analogy quite a bit. Jesus said and did some of the
things He said and did to set an example for those who
witnessed it to follow, as well as for those of us who
would read about it 2,000 years later. At any rate, the
reason I use Clark Kent/Superman is because people are
familiar with the scenario. And, although Clark Kent/Superman
is a fictitious character, I contend that the Incarnate
Christ was, indeed, the REAL Superman. And, as a result,
Jesus often spoke of the Father as if the Father where
someone other than Himself who was way off in another
galaxy or solar system. As a former trinitarian, myself,
I understand why those who have been indoctrinated to
believe there's two or three of 'em up there believe such,
as well as those who interpret ... and try to understand
... the Bible "literally". However, spiritual
things are NOT understood with human reasoning and logic.
And, Jesus was unlike any one else who has ever walked
upon planet Earth. While He possessed the Glory and Power
of Deity, He went about as a lowly servant. He had a
"human" nature as a result of actually being
born of a woman. And, He had a "Divine" nature
as a result of Him being God manifested in the flesh.
Also, Jesus served as the example ... or the template (so
to speak) ... for all Christians to pattern themselves
after. And, as a result, He said and did many things for
our benefit ... AND to set an example for us to follow.
By the way, I am NOT saying Jesus was deceitful, nor that
He lied ... far from it. It's just that He could (and did)
speak, act and function as any "ordinary" man,
at times. And, He also could (and did) speak, act and
function as Almighty God, at other times, while here on
Earth. Those who have ears to hear, hears what the Spirit
saith, and aren't trying to fuel a flawed, man-made, pre-conceived
and indoctrinated agenda, will, I believe, come to the
understanding as to who Jesus "really" is **IF**
they truly hunger and thirst for righteousness. Then, it
will be up to them what they do from that point. They can
continue on in their traditions and doctrines of men OR
they can come out from among them and be ye separate.
Since Isaiah was a MAJOR Messianic Prophet in the Old
Testament, my challenge for every "natural" Jew
and every professing Christian who believes the man-made
theory of the Holy Trinity OR those who believe Jesus was
Michael the Archangel or some other inferior subordinate
is very simple. I challenge all "natural Jews",
all professing Christians who believes the man-made
theory of the Holy Trinity, the entire Watchtower Society
constituency, the Vatican, and the entire Roman Catholic
Church constituency, as well as any and all members and/or
associates, past and present, of the various and sundry
Protestant denominations, any and all independent Bible
students and scholars including the entire constituency
of the anything connected to or remotely resembling the
Mormon Church ... or anyone else (**IF** I missed anybody)
... to read 11 Chapters in the Book of Isaiah (Chapters
41, 43, 44, 47, 48, 49, 53, 54, 59, 60, and 63) and then
provide me with the Scripture(s) they believe supports
the belief that the coming (prophesied and promised)
MESSIAH would be someone BESIDES Jehovah/God, Himself.
Those of us who embrace the Apostles' One God
Monotheistic Doctrine understand something very important:
The Incarnate Christ was the Alpha and the Omega, the
beginning and the end, the first and the last ... God
manifest in the flesh. And, these are just a few of the
documenting Scriptures I use ... Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah 44:6;
Isaiah 48:12; Micah 1:2-3; John 1:1-14; John 10:30-33;
John 14:6-11; Colossians 2:8-10; 1 Timothy 3:16; Rev. 2:8;
Rev. 21:6; and Rev. 22:13.
Yes, the Doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a flawed man-made
theory, and is NOT "sound doctrine" at all.
Therefore, upon learning this, a person should ask
themselves this question, "Do I want Truth in its
entirety, or do I want man's flawed theories and
traditions?" Whatever you decide, it is entirely up
to you. In the final analysis of things, you and I will
be justified or condemned not by just our faith and
beliefs alone, but also by the words we speak AND our
deeds. Silence can be interpreted as consent. There are
sins of omissions and sins of commission. And, there will
be lots of "good" people in hell. Being "good"
is NOT good enough. If you doubt or dispute that, read
Acts Chapter 10.
A very closely related subject to this is the words that
are invoked at baptismal services. The name that was
alluded to in Matthew 28:19 is the precious name of JESUS.
Quoting Matthew 28:19 does NOT fulfill the Great
Commission. Those who knew how it was to be done, invoked
the precious name of Jesus in Acts 2:37-41; Acts 8:14-17;
Acts 10:44-48; and Acts 19:1-6. Jesus was NOT telling His
disciples what to "say" in Matthew 28:19, He
was telling them what to "do". Besides, nobody
was baptized in Matthew 28:19. And, nobody in the entire
Bible was baptized in the "titles" of Father,
Son and Holy Ghost. We are admonished in Colossians 3:17
to do whatever we do in "word AND deed", to do
it all of it in the "NAME of Jesus". And,
besides the baptism examples, here are a couple other
places (direct "quotes") where the "name
of Jesus" was invoked in word and deed instead of
the "titles" of Father, Son and Holy Ghost ....
Acts 3:6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none;
but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus
Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
Acts 16:18 And this did she many days. But Paul, being
grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came
out the same hour.
History also documents baptism in the name of Jesus ...
Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics (1951). II, 384, 389:
"The formula used was "in the name of the Lord
Jesus Christ" or some synonymous phrase; there is no
evidence for the use of the trine name… The earliest
form, represented in the Acts, was simple immersion…
in water, the use of the name of the Lord, and the laying
on of hands. To these were added, at various times and
places which cannot be safely identified, (a) the trine
name (Justin)…"
Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (1962), I 351:
" evidence .. suggests that baptism in early
Christianity was administered, not in the threefold name,
but 'in the name of Jesus Christ' or 'in the name of the
Lord Jesus.'"
Otto Heick, A History of Christian Thought (1965), I, 53:
"At first baptism was administered in the name of
Jesus, but gradually in the name of the Triune God:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible (1898). I, 241: "[One
explanation is that] the original form of words was
"into the name of Jesus Christ" or 'the Lord
Jesus,' Baptism into the name of the Trinity was a later
development."
Williston Walker, A History of the Christian Church (1947),
page 58: "The trinitarian baptismal formula,,, was
displacing the older baptism in the name of Christ."
The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge
(1957), I, 435: "The New Testament knows only
baptism in the name of Jesus… which still occurs
even in the second and third centuries."
Canney's Encyclopedia of Religions (1970), page 53:
"Persons were baptized at first 'in the name of
Jesus Christ' … or 'in the name of the Lord Jesus'…
Afterwards, with the development of the doctrine of the
Trinity, they were baptized 'in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.'"
Encyclopedia Biblica (1899), I, 473: "It is natural
to conclude that baptism was administered in the earliest
times 'in the name of Jesus Christ,' or in that 'of the
Lord Jesus.' This view is confirmed by the fact that the
earliest forms of the baptismal confession appear to have
been single-not triple, as was the later creed."
Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. (1920), II 365: "The
trinitarian formula and trine immersion were not
uniformly used from the beginning… Bapti[sm] into
the name of the Lord [was] the normal formula of the New
Testament. In the 3rd century baptism in the name of
Christ was still so widespread that Pope Stephen, in
opposition to Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be
valid."
My advice to you is, if you aren't affiliated with one
now, that you find yourself a church which embraces,
teaches and preaches the Apostles' One God Monotheistic
Doctrine and baptizes in the precious name of Jesus ...
the name that was alluded to in Matthew 28:19 ... and go
there, and see (and feel) the difference for yourself.
John 5:39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a
workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing
the word of truth.
Wishing you God's very best!
Bobby G. Richardson
Non-Denominational Layman
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