The Apostle Paul and the Holy Trinity

 

"The term "Holy Trinity", which does not appear anywhere in the Bible, is a human attempt /invention/ to express this divine mystery in one word." /Werner Gitt: Frequently Asked Questions, Evangelical Publishers, page 22/

The Apostle Paul has a statement that settles a far-reaching issue that has divided Christian society for two thousand years.

Here we should not think primarily of the so-called “hymn of love,” which emphasizes: “If I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing…” (1 Cor. 13:2) – although this has similarly proven its power in the world – but of another statement, which is little known, little applied, and therefore has not had any career in the worldwide Christian community. Yet it is extraordinarily suitable for it!

This statement puts an end to the two-thousand-year-old debate that fundamentally divides Christianity, which is none other than the so-called Trinity debate.

This dogma is the central teaching of Christianity, which states that there is one God, but in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that there are three Gods, but that the essence of God is one, while manifesting itself in three persons.

This has been raised to such a level that it is boldly stated: 

“The human mind cannot fully comprehend the mystery of the Trinity. He who attempts to fully comprehend the mystery loses his mind; but he who denies the Trinity loses his soul.” /Handbook of Christian Truth - Harold Lindsell and Charles Woodbridge, 1953, pp. 51-52/. 

“The dogma of the Trinity is an absolute mystery that we do not understand even after it has been revealed.” /German Jesuit theologian Karl Rahner: The Trinity, 1986, p. 50/ 

John Wesley said: “Bring me a worm that understands man, and I will show you a man who understands the triune God.” /7700 Illustrated Encyclopedia, Assurance Publishers, p. 504./ 

How far this deviates from the Bible, and even becomes a theological rule, is clearly shown by the teaching of the Apostle Paul, whose writings were inspired by the Holy Spirit: “I too was inspired by the Spirit of the Lord” (1 Cor 7:40), as were the writings of other biblical writers.

2 Peter 1:20-21 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation: for prophecy never came by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

If God were an incomprehensible mystery, Paul would not have written to Timothy to understand His teaching (2 Tim. 2:7); ​​and when the Levites taught the people God’s law, the people understood the teaching! (Neh. 8:8,12) God Himself tells us to understand the nature of His one Godhead (Isaiah 43:10). It is precisely knowing God and Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life, not knowing God as Jesus Christ. (John 17:3)

Therefore, the incomprehensible mystery of the Trinity evidently sprang from the minds of those who were not possessed of the Spirit of the Lord, otherwise they would not have appealed to the declaration of the incomprehensible mystery of the dogma.

This blindly proclaimed and accepted doctrine is exposed by the statement of the apostle Paul, which we read in Romans 1:8:

“I thank my God through Jesus Christ.”

This statement takes everything, corrects every error, explains every other statement that has ever been made in defense of the Trinity. One simply has to put the two side by side, and Paul's statement corrects it, illuminates it, and if it is used in opposition to it, exposes it. See in this context:

Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

Paul is talking about the God of Jesus Christ here, which is far from a mystery; even a schoolchild understands that the two are not the same! If the God of the apostle Paul and the God of Jesus Christ /our God/ are three-person God, then the God of Jesus Christ includes Jesus Christ, that is, Jesus is God to himself? Then why didn't Paul identify Jesus with his God?

Countless Bible verses are cited in defense of the Trinity, and there are countless passages that those who advocate the Trinity use to prove the Deity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, saying:

There is one God in three persons, all three are real Gods, yet there are not three Gods, but only one.

[This is just as meaningless as a man there three daughters,all three of whom are real children, yet he does not have three children, only one.]

Now let us add Romans 1:8: "I thank my God through Jesus Christ." Did the apostle Paul include Jesus Christ in his God? Obviously not! Therefore, the statement that "all three are real God" has already failed in its own right.

Why didn't Paul say that he gave thanks to his Trinitarian God? If he didn't say that, then who gave Trinitarians the authority to say anything other than Paul? Did they give themselves that authority?!

Now here we can start listing the verses that Trinitarians bring up, it could be any number. For example.

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. This was in the beginning with God.

Add to this Paul’s statement: “I thank my God through Jesus Christ.” Would the Word then be the same or equal God as the God who is the God of the apostle Paul? Since Paul clearly did not include the Word (Jesus Christ) in his God, it is clear that the divinity of the Word is merely a qualitative adjective, but has no role in identifying the God of the Bible.

Jesus referred to this qualitative adjective as follows:

John 10:34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, You are gods?’”

John 10:34 is set in the midst of a debate between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. The Jews want to stone Jesus because he claims to be God. Jesus refers to Psalm 82 to refute their accusation.

This quote shows that their own Law (which includes the Psalms) also called human leaders “gods” because of the power they had. “If the Scriptures called them gods, to whom the word of God came, do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?”

So the Son of God is mentioned as God, which immediately falls into place in light of Romans 8:1, namely that he is not the same as the God of the apostle Paul, no matter how much he is called God.

Paul obviously knew all the quotes that Trinitarians can cite to defend their position, yet he did not extend his God to Jesus Christ! Therefore, there is no Scriptural support for the idea that the only true, Most High God of the Bible (Psalm 83:19; Luke 6:35) includes Jesus Christ within a mystical Trinity.

Here we can also quote the so-called Trinity formulas:

Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen!

Matthew 3:16 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 alighting upon him.

2Corinthians 13:13 {KJV 13:14} The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Although all the factors are mentioned in relation to the Trinity, when viewed in light of Romans 1: 8, Jesus Christ is not included in the criteria for being called God by the apostle Paul, but neither is the Holy Spirit, since she is not even mentioned.

Jesus says on one occasion:

John 10:30 I and the Father are one.

This unity certainly extends to believers:

John 17:22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them, that they may be one (Greek heis) even as we are one:

In fact, as Paul says

1 Cor 3:8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one;

And if that is not enough for someone to see that Jesus' unity with the Father means unity of purpose and will, then add Romans 8:1 and it becomes clear how false the following explanation is:

Jesus’ statement in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one,” is one of the strongest statements in the Bible about his divine nature. It refers not merely to a close relationship or a common purpose, but to a deeper, consubstantial unity, which his listeners interpreted as blasphemy.

If it meant a one-substance unity, then Paul would not have omitted Jesus Christ when identifying his God, but he did. So this “one-substance unity” is just a human opinion, especially since the phrase “one-substance unity” is not found in the Bible.

Let's look at Thomas' statement:

John 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God!

Now who was inspired by God’s holy spirit, Paul or Thomas? Obviously Paul. What Thomas said was in the heat of his emotions, while the other apostles did not indulge in similar expressions, for they said:

John 20:20 And when he had said this, he shewed them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, because they had seen the Lord.

So they saw the Lord (Jesus), not their God, as Romans 8:1 nicely puts it.

Another plastic statement:

Col 2:9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,

Philippians 2: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [She did not seek equality with God; did not consider herself equal to God]

Do these verses perhaps mean that Christ is one with God in the divine essence, according to a church dogma declared a mystery of faith (proclaiming a three-person God)? Although it doesn't literally say "Jesus = God," doesn't it clearly state that the divine being is fully present in him? Based on Romans 1:8, this can be completely ruled out!

Jesus had a God (cf. John 20:17), but Jesus’ God has no God. Jesus’ God is the Father, he never prayed; Jesus prayed to his own God. Jesus Christ has God as his head (1 Corinthians 11:3), but God has no head. (etc.) So the whole existence of God literally dwelling in Christ is merely a qualitative category, since the text clearly does not mean what the Trinitarians claim “For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (tes theotetos somatikos = the Godhead, divine nature physically) - Colossians 2:9), namely that Christ was as real (unbegotten) God as he who sent him, and was truly the same /despite his birth, visible body, and ability to die/. This is a speculative philosophy that is not taught in Scripture.

The Jewish people failed in their "religious practices" (Hebrews 9:1) when they accused Jesus of making himself God. Christianity accuses Jesus of the same thing, that he professed himself to be God, even though Jesus' person was never a subject of debate among the apostles (John 1:42), and they did not identify the God of the prophets with the prophet sent by him (Matt. 21:46; Luke 7:16; 24:19; Rev. 22:6).

John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy, and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.

“But Jesus Christ declared himself to be the TRUE and LIVING God!... He declared, “I am God.”... If he is not God, then we have nothing to do with him.” (John Maisel: Is Jesus God? Central European Bible Institute (CEBI), pp. 17, 19)

The same accusation is repeated by Christianity. But didn't Jesus say so?

John 7:17 If anyone wants to do his will, he will know about the teaching, whether it is from God or whether I speak on my own.

Is speaking from Jesus the same as speaking from God? They accuse Jesus of this lie, yet they say that anyone who does not accept Jesus as God is not a Christian! But Jesus himself makes a distinction between God and himself. And so does the entire biblical revelation!

Revelation 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty is the temple thereof, and the Lamb. - Not God Almighty, who is the same as the Lamb. For God Almighty is not the Lamb!

John 1:29, 36 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” … And looking at Jesus as he walked, he said, “Behold, the Lamb of God!”

Col 2:9 is not saying that Christ is God, but that God somehow gave Christ “fullness” so that he could be the image of the invisible God. (In Col 1:15, Paul says of Jesus that he is “the image of the invisible God.”) What this verse says has already been made clear in the letter to the Colossians: “It pleased God that in him all fullness should dwell” (Col 1:19). Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fullness of him who filleth all in all.

This shows that the fullness he possessed was not something he had always had. For if someone is complete in something, how can they receive fullness afterwards? Or at all? He received it because the Father saw fit that all fullness should dwell in him. This was God's choice. This "fullness" that Jesus possesses is not his eternal nature. He received it from God the Father, who, as other writings confirm, is above Jesus and has authority over him (1 Corinthians 11:3, John 14:28, John 20:17).

Jesus' participation in the "fullness" means that God, who is the Father, gave him everything he needed to perfectly represent Him..

Verse 10 states that believers have "reached fullnes" in Christ. How? Have they become God? No, this does not mean that they have become God. The fullness that belongs to Christ—and His "fullness" is God's fullness—is shared with us: "We have all received from His fullness" (Jn 1:16). In this sense, the Church, as the body of Christ, is "His fullness, who fills all in all" (Eph 1:23; 4:13). Through knowing Christ, believers are therefore "filled with all the fullness of God" (Eph 3:19), but this does not mean that Christians somehow become God.

So the fact that Jesus possessed “all the fullness of God” does not make Him personally “God”; and we do not become personally God because we are filled with the fullness of God; just as a son is not his father. Just as Christ's body was filled with God's Spirit and nature after his resurrection, so will God's children be (1 Cor 15:49; Phil 3:20,21).

Context is key to understanding the verse correctly. The Colossians had lost their focus on Christ (see Colossians 1:15-20). Colossians 2:8 points out that the people were in danger of turning to “empty and deceptive philosophy” instead of focusing on Christ. What can philosophy and traditions offer that Christ cannot? The following verse reminds us that there is no better place to seek answers and truth than in Christ, in whom the fullness of God dwells.

There is nothing in the context that justifies Paul writing about the Trinity. He is simply saying that if you want to find God, you must look to Christ. Christ himself said that he is “the Way” and “the Truth” and that “no one comes to the Father but through me.” Besides, why would anyone go to the Father if Jesus, in his unity, were the same God?

But Jesus is not the same God in Her “one essence,” as the apostle Paul already stated in Romans 1: 8.

The claim of Trinity believers is a false assumption. Trinity believers simply assume that if the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, then we must somehow assume that he is God according to his identity.

But in the Colossians also dwelt the fullness of God, because they were members of the body of Christ. The fullness in question is the heavenly treasure, which is ours in the Spirit of God who dwells in us, the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Ephesians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Conclusion

Are there any other texts that Trinitarians bring up to prove the Deity of Christ? It is perhaps unnecessary to recall them all. We simply need to apply to them the statement of Paul, which he made in Romans 1:8. It will be clear that if it is not in accordance with Paul's criterion of God, then he is trying to prove a false idea.

Ultimately, under Paul's statement, the entire Trinitarian philosophy falls apart, no matter how much one tries to assert its truth. 

It's interesting, by the way, that they couldn't even infer the falsity of the Trinity from the fact that the writers of the Bible (Old and New Testaments) knew and used the number three, but never in reference to God. And they use the unscriptural formula of the three-in-one God with complete peace of mind. Whether this practice aligns with what Jesus defined is something everyone must decide for themselves. Let them decide well, because true worship is at stake. If anyone has missed the mark in this, they have clearly missed the path to eternal life. 

John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.God is spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 

This was said by Jesus, who was in the flesh, so he could not be God, who is not a physical being, but a spiritual being. (cf. “a spirit does not have flesh and bones”) The apostle Paul clearly stated this in Romans 1:8, and we consistently apply and recommend statement to everyone.

Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or the earth and the world were formed, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God. - And not Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

So fulfill Paul's statement /law/ and do not fight for the false philosophy of the Holy Trinity! Be a part of God's overflowing love, especially through your obedience to Him.

1 Corinthians 11:1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him, because he cares for you.

Psalm 27:8 KJV [When thou saidst], Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

Revelation 22:20 says, "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.' Amen, come, Lord Jesus!"

Postscript

“Those who reject the truth that God is one fall into the delusion and ultimate disaster of idolatry. As Trinitarians, we place our faith in a non-existent God who, like the idols of the Old Testament, was made by man—in this case, the Western pagan church. I myself fervently believed and taught this man-made dogma for over half a century, mistaken in my belief that the church could never err. “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (Romans 1:25) – The Only Perfect Man: The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ - https://christiandiscipleschurch.org/content/the-only-perfect-man-chapter-01

Eric H. H. Chang (1934–2013) was a pastor, Christian writer, and the founder and leader of the Church of Christian Disciples (CDC), a movement with an international presence, particularly in Asia and Canada. He was known for his extensive pastoral work, his biblical writings, and his later theological turn in which he abandoned Trinitarianism in favor of biblical monotheism.

See also:

- THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN FATHER AND SON 

https://darhiwum.blogspot.com/2024/03/he-fundamental-differences-between.html

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You haven't thought about this yet, my Trinitarian friend: those who preach the Trinity are clearly hindering the coming of the Lord Christ!

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.