Friday, March 16, 2012

*Best of DTB #158* Trinity debate show notes

These show notes go in tandem with this Blog Talk radio debate



OPENING MONOLOGUE:
I wish to start out by thanking Jimmy Z for moderating this debate and George Lujack for participating in it. The debate this evening is on the doctrine of the Trinity. Let me repeat that; the debate tonight is on the doctrine of the Trinity. In the course of the debate tonight, my opponent will no doubt argue that the word Trinity appears nowhere in the Bible. I gladly concede this point.

Here are a list of other words that appear nowhere in the Scriptures; Incarnation, Divinity, Tetragrammaton, Christmas, Easter, and, of course, Bible. Yet, millions of people believe that these concepts are clearly shown in Scripture. Each one could be debated on it's own merits but the point I am trying to make is clear. That a word is coined after a concept, to describe that concept, in no way nullifies the veracity of that concept. To suggest that it is would be a fallacious argument. The concept stands or falls on it's own merits, not on which word is posits it.

The doctrine of the Trinity asserts that the Christian Bible presents to us a singular God manifested in three Divine persons- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. An examination of Christian belief worldwide shows this concept to be almost a universally accepted foundational belief. In fact, by extrapolating the data posted at the website adherents.com , controlling for denominations that reject this doctrine, one can calculate that even about 95% of non-catholic Christian denominations accept this doctrine as foundational. (see chart in the show notes).

However, I do not assert that the doctrine of the Trinity is true because better than 95% of Christians believe that it is. That would be committing the logical fallacy known as Argumentum Ad Populum. Let me just point out this, though. Even the majority of Sola Scriptura Christians, that is, those who adhere to a Bible alone belief system, open their Bibles and see- clearly manifested within the pages- a singular God that exists in three persons. I would ask George and others who believe as he does, to search their hearts to examine why so many see this reality so clearly in Scripture.

I am happy that George has asked me to go first, so that I can make the affirmative case for this doctrine. It is my contention that the Biblical case for the Trinity is airtight. Therefore, I will rely on Scripture alone to make my case. That is my case. I will probably find it necessary to also appeal to history to disprove my opponent's case as he will almost certainly misrepresent history to attempt to prove it.

That the Bible teaches us that there is ONE God is a matter beyond dispute and I doubt that George will contest this.



Deuteronomy 6
4 Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.
Malachi 2 10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created us? why then doth every one of us despise his brother, violating the covenant of our fathers?

Mark 12

29 And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God.
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
31 And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.
32 And the scribe said to him: Well, Master, thou hast said in truth, that there is one God, and there is no other besides him.
Since God's oneness in Divinity is really not disputed, I'll waste no more time belaboring the point.

The doctrine of the Trinity starts to come into focus when we see verses like Matthew 28:19;
Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.


In the name comes from the greek word Onoma (ὄνομα) which means in the Authority of. These breakdowns are shown in the show notes.

Jesus clearly denotes both the separate person-hood and authority of each of the 3 figures by instructing that Baptism is to be performed in the name of the Father AND of the Son AND of the Holy Spirit. This point is irrefutable. each of the three is a person and each of the three exercises the full authority of the ONE God.

The full term is eis to onoma, a conjunction of three words (strong's 1519, 3686 and 3588) which is translated In the name indicates to actually be incorporated or subjected to the authority of. In this case, it is clearly divine authority since the term is singular, not plural.

To extrapolate, Jesus is actually saying to be baptized into the Singular Divine authority of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The wording eliminates both the interpretation of more than one God and the interpretation of more or less than three persons. On the basis of this passage of Scripture, exegeted correctly, we could win tonight's debate. One singular Divinity, subsisting in three distinct persons is the only way to interpret this passage honestly.

Nevertheless, allow me to go forward.

I doubt very seriously that my opponent, or any Christian listening, would deny that the Father is God, therefore, I will waste no time proving it. Nevertheless, Scripture does prove that the Son is also God, no less explicitly.

John Chapter 1 tells us that In the Beginning (that is, before time) the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Greek word Theos (Strong 2316). Definition posted in the show notes.


Theos, in this context indicates the utmost supreme Divinity. The most high, if you will. The reference that the word was with God clearly indicates with God the Father. I am positive that my opponent would concede the obvious inference. So, the only possible way to exegete this passage is to say that the Word (Jesus), was with the Father who is God, thus the two are separate and distinct, yet was, at the same time, the very same God (Theos, the same word).

It is verse 14 that tells us that the Word took on flesh. So, in John 1, we see two separate and distinct persons that share the same exact Divinity, only one of which also took on humanity.

According to these verses, it is simply impossible to extrapolate God as not having at least a Biune nature. The term Adonai which refers to God in the Old Testament, is translated to the Greek Kyrios and explicitly assigned to Jesus in Luke 1:43 and many other passages.

Jesus clearly understood Himself to be Divine and that is what He was crucified for.

Matthew 26:
63: But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
64: Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven."

John 8 24 Therefore I said to you, that you shall die in your sins. For if you believe not that I am he, you shall die in your sin.

John 2028 Thomas answered, and said to him: My Lord, and my God.
29 Jesus saith to him: Because thou hast seen me, Thomas, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and have believed.





What about the Holy Spirit?




John 14
26 But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.
So, the Holy Spirit, like the Father and the Son, is a person. Simple logic would dictate that. like the Father and the Son, His authority speaks to His Divinity and, of course, Scripture confirms this.


Revelation 2 7 He, that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches: To him, that overcometh, I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of my God.

Acts 10
19 And as Peter was thinking of the vision, the Spirit said to him: Behold three men seek thee.
20 Arise, therefore, get thee down and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.


Romans 8

26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmity. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought; but the Spirit himself asketh for us with unspeakable groanings.

27 And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what the Spirit desireth; because he asketh for the saints according to God.


This is what you came to hear. The affirmative case that the Trinity is Biblical. I have made that case. I have shown you first that there is only ONE God. Secondly, I have shown you that we are under the Lordship of three separate and distinct persons, all active at John's Baptism of Jesus (reference in the show notes)


Matthew 3



16 And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him.
17 And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Finally, I have shown you that all 3 persons participate in that singular Divinity. Ladies and gentleman, I have just proven the Trinity.





PLEASE NOTE: It may come as some surprise to my opponent that I did not make an appeal to 1 John 5:7-8. (The Johannin gloss)


7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
8And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.


v 7 is a disputed text that has a minority of support among currently available greek manuscript evidence. Nevertheless, it appears in the Latin Vulgate, The Douai Rheems and the King James. However, it is excluded from many modern versions including 3 versions used by Catholics. Therefore, since it is a disputed text, and since there is more than enough other evidence to support the Trinity, we make no appeal to it.







Some who get it wrong:

Mormons;

Mormons hold a polytheistic view that not only holds that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate Gods, but hold that they are 3 of many, many gods, even holding that we ourselves can become gods. This theology is obviously abhorrent to legitimate Christianity. Thus, mormons are not Christians.

Jehovah's Witnesses;

Founded by Charles Taze Russell, this religion is a cult just as Mormonism is. In addition to calling the Father by the un-Biblical name "Jehovah", JWs deny the Divinity of Christ and the very person-hood of the Holy Spirit.

The Pentecostal Oneness movement;Though we won't know for certain until the debate begins, we are pretty sure that this is the theology arguing in opposition to us today, represented by George Lujack.
Therefore, we will deal most with the beliefs of this system.

The oneness Pentecostals also get the Biblical God wrong but in a different way. The see God as one and they see the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit as God but not the way we do. To people in this group, The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three manifestations of the same God, who is the same person. Three different roles that God plays, if you will. This view is, of course, wholly alien to Sacred Scripture. In fact,it turns sacred scripture on it's ear.

Consider these passages;

John 14

16 And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.
17 The spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, nor knoweth him: but you shall know him; because he shall abide with you, and shall be in you.
26 But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.
How can the Father send the Holy Spirit in the name of the Son if the three are the same person? You have to suspend common sense to adopt such a belief.

Or this one?





Matthew 3 11 I indeed baptize you in the water unto penance, but he that shall come after me, is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire.


How can Jesus baptize into the name of the Holy Spirit if they are one and the same?

16 And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him.


17 And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are all present and acting independently. What more proof could you want?

2 Peter 1
16 For we have not by following artificial fables, made known to you the power, and presence of our Lord Jesus Christ; but we were eyewitnesses of his greatness.
17 For he received from God the Father, honour and glory: this voice coming down to him from the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.


How can Jesus receive honor and glory from the Father (and how could the Father give it, for that matter) if they are the same person?


Luke 1
31 Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus.

32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever.

33 And of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man?
35 And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
How can Jesus be conceived by the Holy Spirit and be called the Son of the Most High (The Father) if they are the same person?

Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.


Even the first book of the Bible talks of God as a plurality of persons.


Objections;

Jesus said that Him and the Father are one and the same;

John 14
8: Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied."
9: Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father'?

Jesus says no such thing, at least not in personage Examining the full context clearly refutes such an interpretation.

1: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me.
2: In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
3: And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.4: And you know the way where I am going."
5: Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" 6: Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me. 7: If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him."
8: Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied."
9: Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10: Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.
11: Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves.
12: "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.
13: Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son;
14: if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
15: "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
16: And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever,
17: even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you.


So, it is manifestly clear that though the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in Divinity and purpose, they are three separate persons.

One publication from Oneness Pentecostalism claims the following regarding John 1:1;

If you are with someone, then you are other than and distinct from that person. The actual Greek here says the One called the Word was with "the God," while the Word Himself was also "God." It does not say that the Word was "the God," for They are not the same entity. Rather, John clearly describes two divine Beings in this passage—One called the God and another referred to as God the Word, who was with Him.

The original Greek makes no such distinction. See for yourself

Later, it says
We see, then, that there is a plurality in God and that Jesus Christ is God along with the Father. While acknowledging that, the Trinity doctrine is wrong in presenting Them as persons in a single being along with the Holy Spirit.

This person just contradicted himself. If there is a plurality in God, How can he deny that there is a single Divine being. He is arguing monotheism and polytheism at the same time. Further, that the Holy Spirit is God is beyond dispute.


Origin of these interpretations.

The true doctrine;

The doctrine of a God in three persons was the belief of the Christian Church from the very start. The Word Trinity is found as early as 180 AD used by Bishop Theopolis of Antioch. It comes from the Greek Trias, signifying three persons. Despite the contention of some, that the Catholic Church invented this doctrine in the early church councils, the historical record that Christians believed in a Triune God right from the beginning is a clear matter of the historical record. You will note that each of these quotes predates the council of Nicea (325 AD) when opponents of this doctrine claim we invented it.
The Didache

"After the foregoing instructions, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living [running] water. . . . If you have neither, pour water three times on the head, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (Didache 7:1 [A.D. 70]).
Ignatius of Antioch

"[T]o the Church at Ephesus in Asia . . . chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God" (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]).
"For our God, Jesus Christ, was conceived by Mary in accord with God’s plan: of the seed of David, it is true, but also of the Holy Spirit" (ibid., 18:2).

Justin Martyr
"We will prove that we worship him reasonably; for we have learned that he is the Son of the true God himself, that he holds a second place, and the Spirit of prophecy a third. For this they accuse us of madness, saying that we attribute to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all things; but they are ignorant of the mystery which lies therein" (First Apology 13:5–6 [A.D. 151]).
Theophilus of Antioch

"It is the attribute of God, of the most high and almighty and of the living God, not only to be everywhere, but also to see and hear all; for he can in no way be contained in a place. . . . The three days before the luminaries were created are types of the Trinity: God, his Word, and his Wisdom" (To Autolycus 2:15 [A.D. 181]).
Irenaeus

"For the Church, although dispersed throughout the whole world even to the ends of the earth, has received from the apostles and from their disciples the faith in one God, the Father Almighty . . . and in one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became flesh for our salvation; and in the Holy Spirit" (Against Heresies 1:10:1 [A.D. 189]).

Tertullian
"We do indeed believe that there is only one God, but we believe that under this dispensation, or, as we say, oikonomia, there is also a Son of this one only God, his Word, who proceeded from him and through whom all things were made and without whom nothing was made. . . . We believe he was sent down by the Father, in accord with his own promise, the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, the sanctifier of the faith of those who believe in the Father and the Son, and in the Holy Spirit. . . . This rule of faith has been present since the beginning of the gospel, before even the earlier heretics" (Against Praxeas 2 [A.D. 216]).

"And at the same time the mystery of the oikonomia is safeguarded, for the unity is distributed in a Trinity. Placed in order, the three are the Father, Son, and Spirit. They are three, however, not in condition, but in degree; not in being, but in form; not in power, but in kind; of one being, however, and one condition and one power, because he is one God of whom degrees and forms and kinds are taken into account in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" (ibid.).

"Keep always in mind the rule of faith which I profess and by which I bear witness that the Father and the Son and the Spirit are inseparable from each other, and then you will understand what is meant by it. Observe now that I say the Father is other [distinct], the Son is other, and the Spirit is other. This statement is wrongly understood by every uneducated or perversely disposed individual, as if it meant diversity and implied by that diversity a separation of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" (ibid., 9).
"Thus the connection of the Father in the Son, and of the Son in the Paraclete, produces three coherent persons, who are yet distinct one from another. These three are, one essence, not one person, as it is said, ‘I and my Father are one’ [John 10:30], in respect of unity of being not singularity of number" (ibid., 25).

Origen
"For we do not hold that which the heretics imagine: that some part of the being of God was converted into the Son, or that the Son was procreated by the Father from non-existent substances, that is, from a being outside himself, so that there was a time when he [the Son] did not exist" (The Fundamental Doctrines 4:4:1 [A.D. 225]).

"No, rejecting every suggestion of corporeality, we hold that the Word and the Wisdom was begotten out of the invisible and incorporeal God, without anything corporal being acted upon . . . the expression which we employ, however that there was never a time when he did not exist is to be taken with a certain allowance. For these very words ‘when’ and ‘never’ are terms of temporal significance, while whatever is said of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is to be understood as transcending all time, all ages" (ibid.).

"For it is the Trinity alone which exceeds every sense in which not only temporal but even eternal may be understood. It is all other things, indeed, which are outside the Trinity, which are to be measured by time and ages" (ibid.).

Hippolytus
"The Word alone of this God is from God himself, wherefore also the Word is God, being the being of God. Now the world was made from nothing, wherefore it is not God" (Refutation of All Heresies 10:29 [A.D. 228]).

Novatian
"For Scripture as much announces Christ as also God, as it announces God himself as man. It has as much described Jesus Christ to be man, as moreover it has also described Christ the Lord to be God. Because it does not set forth him to be the Son of God only, but also the son of man; nor does it only say, the son of man, but it has also been accustomed to speak of him as the Son of God. So that being of both, he is both, lest if he should be one only, he could not be the other. For as nature itself has prescribed that he must be believed to be a man who is of man, so the same nature prescribes also that he must be believed to be God who is of God. . . . Let them, therefore, who read that Jesus Christ the son of man is man, read also that this same Jesus is called also God and the Son of God" (Treatise on the Trinity 11 [A.D. 235]).

Pope Dionysius

"Next, then, I may properly turn to those who divide and cut apart and destroy the most sacred proclamation of the Church of God, making of it [the Trinity], as it were, three powers, distinct substances, and three godheads. . . . [Some heretics] proclaim that there are in some way three gods, when they divide the sacred unity into three substances foreign to each other and completely separate" (Letter to Dionysius of Alexandria 1 [A.D. 262]).
"Therefore, the divine Trinity must be gathered up and brought together in one, a summit, as it were, I mean the omnipotent God of the universe. . . . It is b.asphemy, then, and not a common one but the worst, to say that the Son is in any way a handiwork [creature]. . . . But if the Son came into being [was created], there was a time when these attributes did not exist; and, consequently, there was a time when God was without them, which is utterly absurd" (ibid., 1–2).


"Neither, then, may we divide into three godheads the wonderful and divine unity. . . . Rather, we must believe in God, the Father Almighty; and in Christ Jesus, his Son; and in the Holy Spirit; and that the Word is united to the God of the universe. ‘For,’ he says, ‘The Father and I are one,’ and ‘I am in the Father, and the Father in me’" (ibid., 3).

Gregory the Wonderworker
"There is one God. . . . There is a perfect Trinity, in glory and eternity and sovereignty, neither divided nor estranged. Wherefore there is nothing either created or in servitude in the Trinity; nor anything superinduced, as if at some former period it was non-existent, and at some later period it was introduced. And thus neither was the Son ever wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to the Son; but without variation and without change, the same Trinity abides ever" (Declaration of Faith [A.D. 265]).
The early church councils, such as Nicea (325) and Constantinople (381) did not create doctrine but defended already established doctrine from heresey. In these two councils, for example, the Church affirmed the wide-spread understanding of the Divinity of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit as also God.

Mormonism;


Mormonism was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith. Truth be told, you could say he invented the religion out of thin air. Mormonism is a religion of many gods and brings a false Christ. It is wholly incompatible with Christianity. In Mormonism, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three separate Gods.

Jehovah's Witnesses;

The Jehovah witnesses were founded in 1872 by Charles Taze Russell as an off-shoot of Adventism. The witnesses maintain that God exists as one singular person named Jehovah (an incorrect transliteration of the name of God, traced to the middle ages). The witnesses deny the Divinty of Jesus Christ as well as the person of the Holy Spirit. Thus, this religion is also not compatible with Christianity.
Oneness Pentecostals;

The Oneness Pentecostal movement was formed in Los Angeles, California. The movement (and it's offshoots) claim to trace their founding back to the very Apostles but there is no historical support whatsoever for this claim.

Oneness Pentecostals believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are the same person. This is easily dis-proven by Scripture. In creating their movement, they drew from a long debunked third century heresy known as Modalism practiced by a man named Sebelius. There is zero historical evidence that the early church accepted the view of the modalists.




Closing remarks;

Once again, I want to thank Jimmy Z for moderating this debate, Donald Hartley for running the switchboard and for George Lujack for participating in it. I hope those of you listening had as much fun as we had putting on this debate. For further information, please visit our debate show notes which can be found easily at tinyurl.com/7uc4qq9. There you will find ample support for our arguments as well as both my opening and closing statements.

It was very important to me to be as respectful as possible to my opponent and win this debate in meritus, that is, on the merits.

To review, between my debate arguments, and the show notes supporting them, we have shown definitive proof that;


  • there is only one God, in the Christian religion.

  • That that God is revealed in Scripture as being 3 persons- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. and

  • this is what the Christian church has believed and proclaimed since day 1.
We hold these 3 facts as irrefutable. In fact, so protective was the infant church of this reality, that 1 John 2:22 calls those who deny the Father and the Son AntiChrist

Now, please don't say that I called my opponent the AntiChrist, I didn't. However, along with Islamists, Jews, Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses, he does espouse an Anti-Christian ideology. His intentions are good, to be sure, but his theology is not in line with the direct revelation of God.

To better understand this, it is helpful to understand all of scripture in order to provide context. Part of that understanding is Old Testament typology. When God the Father sent Abraham up the mountain, instructing him to offer up his own son, He was showing Abraham the great sacrifice He was going to make. On Friday, April 3rd, 33 AD, God the Son died on a cross. On Sunday, April 5th, God the Father raised Him. On Pentecost, with Jesus gone to heaven, God the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. It is just inescapable.

I have no doubt that my opponent is a good man and neither do I doubt his desire to know, love and serve God. However, the Bible tells us that God must be worshiped in spirit and truth. (John 4:24). We simply are not allowed to worship God in any form other than in that which God is revealed to us. To do so would be idolatry.

2 Corinthians 13:13 explicitly argues for the Trinity.


13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.
To further deny the Trinity it is an exercise in futility.

Despite the contention that the Trinity was a doctrine created to answer the protests of the Arians or Macedonians or an accommodation to paganism, nothing exists in the way of credible evidence to support these claims. All that remains are fallacious assertions and juxtapositions.

For those who claim we Catholics invented the doctrine of the Trinity at the council of Nicea in 325 AD, consider this quote from Origen, 100 years early to the year, from his work fundamental doctrines;

"For it is the Trinity alone which exceeds every sense in which not only temporal but even eternal may be understood. It is all other things, indeed, which are outside the Trinity, which are to be measured by time and ages" (ibid.).
In addition to this quote, we have 10 more in the show notes, all preceding that council. The oldest, in fact, going back to 70 AD. All of these quotes support the Trinity and each one precedes the council of Nicea by 50 to 255 years and the first Bible by between 128 and 323 years


In the end, opponents of this doctrine cannot counter the clear Scriptural evidence of One God in three persons and the clear historical proofs that the Christian religion has believed and taught this fundamental doctrine for nearly 2,000 years.

True, Peter talks about baptism in the name of Jesus in the Book of Acts 2:38, but context again is the key. Remember that eis to onoma, translated "in the name" means "in the authority" of. Peter is pronouncing the authority of the baptism that was instituted by Christ. Yet, don't forget that Christ Himself, in instituting that baptism instructed that it be in the authority of the Father AND the Son AND the Holy Spirit. Thank you.





George has provided me with this link. I provide it to you as a courtesy.


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