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 Though the doctrine of the Trinity is quite biblical, many
Christians find themselves unable to adequately answer the
attacks on this doctrine by other monotheistic religions
such as Islam and Judaism, as well as polytheistic and
henotheistic religions such as Mormonism and the Jehovah’s
Witnesses (henotheism is the belief in multiple gods, but
the worship of only one). Few Christian doctrines are
attacked so viciously as the doctrine of the Trinity.
This aspect of the nature of God is awe-inspiring and
wonderful. As Christians, we should be prepared to
explain it to unbelievers and to defend it against
attacks. As you will see, most arguments against the
Trinity are weak and unable to stand up to biblical
scrutiny or an appeal to logic. If you witness to a
Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness, or a Muslim, some of these
arguments are likely to come up, and it’s vitally
important that you are able to give an answer (1 Peter
3:15), demolish these arguments (2 Corinthians 10:5), and
contend for the faith (Jude 3,4).
I have covered the biblical supports
for the triune nature of God in a previous article, “A
Comprehensive Biblical Defense of the Trinity.” If
you have not read that article, I encourage you to do so
before moving on to this one. In it, I provide biblical
proof for the following points:
1.
There is only one God
2.
The Father is God
3.
Jesus is God
4.
The Holy Spirit is God
5.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three distinct
Persons.
Before
addressing the most common objections, it’s important to
make sure that we are starting with an accurate definition
of the Trinity. Many who oppose the Trinity do so with a
faulty understanding of the definition. Simply put, the
doctrine of the Trinity states that there is one true God,
and within that God there are three co-equal and
co-eternal persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each
Person of the Trinity is distinct from the other, but
all three comprise one God. Various heresies arise when
this definition is distorted, and I covered some of them
in the previous article. Now that we start from a common
definition, let’s turn ourselves to some common
objections.
1. The
word “Trinity” isn’t found anywhere in the Bible!
True enough,
the word “Trinity” isn’t found in the Bible. A similar
argument is used by theological modernists who assert that
the term “homosexual” is a modern word that didn’t exist
at the time the Bible was written, therefore the Bible
can’t condemn homosexuality. I think most people will
agree that the Bible STILL condemns homosexuality, even
thought this particular English word wasn’t used in the
Greek or Hebrew texts. Interestingly, the word
“pornography” is similarly absent from Scripture, but we
are still able to view the biblical teachings on sexual
morality, coupled with Jesus’ teaching that a man who
looks at a woman with lust commits adultery with her in
his heart to recognize that pornography is sinful. The
word “theocracy” is not found in the Bible, but the
concept can be found there. The absence of a word does
not preclude its teaching in Scripture.
Critics also
argue that no single verse of Scripture clearly teaches
the doctrine of the Trinity. While many single verses
provide excellent evidence for the triune nature of God
(see the
previous article), it is true that this doctrine is
not capsulated in a single verse or passage of Scripture.
The Bible is not titled, “Christian Doctrine for
Dummies.” It is sometimes necessary to look at the
teachings of Scripture as a whole. When we allow
ourselves to do that, we can see that the Trinity is quite
Scriptural.
2. The
Trinity doctrine is confusing, and God is not the author
of confusion.
1 Corinthians
14:33 in the NIV states in part, “For God is not a God
of disorder but of peace.” In the spurious New World
Translation of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the verse
similarly states, “For
God is [a God], not of disorder, but of peace.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons will frequently cite this
verse when arguing against the Trinity. After all, the
concept of a triune God can be confusing. They argue that
such a confusing doctrine must come from Satan, since God
is not a God of confusion or disorder. Yet such an
argument is illogical. That humans cannot fully
understand the nature of God simply means that we are
finite created beings who do not possess the mind of God.
The Bible is clear that such confusions are to be
expected:
·
“ ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As
the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.’”
– Isaiah 55:8-9
·
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his
judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!” – Romans
11:33
·
“Now we see but a poor reflection; then
we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I
shall know fully, even as I am fully known.” – 1
Corinthians 13:12
Many aspects
of God’s nature are hard, if not impossible, for the human
mind to comprehend. For example, infinite concepts give
me a headache. If I try to comprehend the concept of an
infinite sum, I get a headache. If I try to really
comprehend the eternal nature of God (without a beginning
or an end), I get a headache. My finite human mind simply
cannot comprehend eternity beyond the vague concept. I’m
not alone in this either. While Jehovah’s Witnesses will
use the confusion argument against the Trinity, they
contradict themselves in other areas. In the Watchtower
publication Reasoning from the Scriptures,
they acknowledge this confusion after citing Psalm 90:2,
referencing God’s eternal nature: “Is that reasonable?
Our minds cannot fully comprehend it. But that is not
a sound reason for rejecting it.”
[1]
As is so often
the case in arguments by cultists and heretics, they have
divorced 1 Corinthians 14:33 from its context to use it in
the fashion they desire. It is vital that we read
Scripture in context to gain a proper understanding of
it. Let’s put this verse back in its appropriate context,
including verses 26-33, 39-40:
“What
then shall we say, brothers? When you come together,
everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a
revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these
must be done for the strengthening of the church. If
anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should
speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there
is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the
church and speak to himself and God. Two or three
prophets should speak, and the others should weigh
carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to
someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should
stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone
may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets
are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a
God of disorder but of peace…. Therefore, my brothers, be
eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
When placed in
context, we can see that this passage is talking about how
our worship should be orderly. Paul is trying to put the
gifts of tongues and prophecy into their proper usage and
eliminate the confusion that can result in a service when
these gifts are used improperly. Just as there is no
discord within God, so there should be no discord or
confusion in our worship of God. Putting Scripture in
context allows us to read it the way the authors (and the
Ultimate Author) intended us to do so.
3. The
Trinity is a pagan concept adopted by Christianity.
This is one of
the most common arguments against the doctrine of the
Trinity. I’ve heard it expressed often by Mormons and
Jehovah’s Witnesses. Usually, the person using this
argument has no evidence to back up this assertion, but on
rare occasions they do. Unfortunately, it is equally rare
that a Christian is prepared to “demolish” this argument.
It can be done easily by an appeal to facts and logic.
The argument
typically is expressed that certain pagan cultures, such
as the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians, developed a
Trinitarian belief in places far removed from the
birthplace of Christianity and predating it by thousands
of years. Therefore, it’s logical to conclude that these
pagan doctrines were introduced into Christianity hundreds
of years after the death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. However, this isn’t exactly true.
The
Babylonians and Assyrians did NOT develop a Trinitarian
theological dogma. Rather, they believed in triads
of gods who headed up a council of other gods. In other
words, whereas the doctrine of the Trinity teaches that
ONE GOD is comprised of three co-equal and co-eternal
persons, the Babylonians and Assyrians believed that three
separate gods formed a leadership over other gods. In
this, their beliefs more closely resemble the
polytheistic/henotheistic beliefs of the Jehovah’s
Witnesses and Mormons. Mormon doctrine holds that the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three separate gods in
leadership over this world. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe
that Jehovah God created Jesus – a lesser god, and that
the Holy Spirit is simply Jehovah’s active force in this
world. These beliefs are closer to the ancient pagan
beliefs than is the Trinity doctrine, which is strictly
monotheistic. Moreover, the separation of early Christian
development from these pagan beliefs with respect to time
and geography make it highly unlikely that the pagan
beliefs played any role in the Church’s clarification of
the Trinity doctrine as found in the Athanasian Creed.
This creed reads, in part, “This
is what the catholic faith teaches: we worship one God in
the Trinity and the Trinity in unity. Neither confounding
the Persons, nor dividing the substance. For there is one
person of the Father, another of the Son, another of the
Holy Spirit. But the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit have one divinity, equal glory, and coeternal
majesty. What the Father is, the Son is, and the Holy
Spirit is. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated,
and the Holy Spirit is uncreated. The Father is
boundless, the Son is boundless, and the Holy Spirit is
boundless. The Father is eternal, the Son is eternal, and
the Holy Spirit is eternal. Nevertheless, there are not
three eternal beings, but one eternal being. So there are
not three uncreated beings, nor three boundless beings,
but one uncreated being and one boundless being.
Likewise, the Father is omnipotent, the Son is omnipotent,
the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. Yet there are not three
omnipotent beings, but one omnipotent being. Thus the
Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is
God. However, there are not three gods, but one God.” It
should be noted that “catholic” in the early centuries was
used to describe universal and orthodox Christianity long
before the Roman Catholic Church existed as such. The
creed continues in this manner. Athanasius did not
fabricate this. Rather, he summarized the teaching of
Scripture.
Association
based on similarities is faulty logic. Pagans (and indeed
practically all ancient cultures on earth) have a legend
concerning a global flood. Does this negate the
truthfulness of the global flood described in Genesis?
Does this mean the Genesis account was “borrowed”? Of
course not. The ubiquity of the flood story actually
buttresses its truthfulness, even though other cultures
don’t have all the details correct. Furthermore, some
pagan cultures have a “messiah” legend that has
similarities to the gospel. However, there are also
differences in these stories. We can take joy in the fact
that these legends haven’t the accuracy of the Bible as
verified historically and archaeologically. Similarities
don’t impart guilt. Therefore, similar pagan doctrines in
triads of gods are not the same as the Trinitarian
doctrine of Christianity, and it is baseless to assume
that the Trinity was “borrowed” from paganism. It’s
simply not true.
4. Jesus
calls the Father, “the only true God,” therefore Jesus
cannot be God.
This is an
interesting argument often raised by Mormons and Jehovah’s
Witnesses. This argument, as we will see, is
self-defeating for them. This argument refers to Jesus’
words to the Father in John 17:3, “Now this is eternal
life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent.” Critics argue that the
Father cannot be the “only true God” if Jesus and the Holy
Spirit can also claim to be God. The thinking is
illogical. First, Jesus’ words do not exclude the Son and
Holy Spirit from also being the only true God. They DO
exclude Jesus and the Holy Spirit from being separate
gods. In other words, if the Father is the only true God,
then Jesus cannot also be a true God and the Holy Spirit
cannot also be a true God (distinguishing them as separate
gods rather than simply separate persons). If we
understand the true nature of the Trinity, we can
acknowledge that the Son and Holy Spirit are co-equal and
co-eternal persons that comprise the one true God, and
John 17:3 does not counter that. However, Jehovah’s
Witnesses and Mormons believe that Jesus is a separate
god, and Mormons believe that the Holy Spirit is yet
another god. In the New World Translation, John 1:1
states, “In [the]
beginning the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was a god”
(emphasis added). Mormonism’s founding prophet taught, “In
the beginning, the head of the gods called a council of
the Gods; and they came together and concocted a plan to
create the world and people it.”[2]
Now if a Mormon or Jehovah’s Witness wants to claim that
this verse teaches that the Father alone is the
only true God, then Jesus and the Holy Spirit must be
false gods. If that is true, the teachings of the LDS
prophets and the New World Translation must be wrong.
5. Jesus prayed to God in the
garden, so Jesus can’t be God.
This statement has needlessly
stumped some Christians, though not for long. It is a
misleading generality to say, “Jesus prayed to God.” To
be more precise, we should say that Jesus (The Son) prayed
to The Father in the garden. While it is true that there
is only one God, it is equally true that God exists as
three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. During His
earthly ministry and being subject to a mortal body, Jesus
willingly endured the limitations of man. As such, it
should come as no surprise that He communicated with The
Father through prayer! This does nothing to diminish the
deity of Jesus Christ or to contradict the monotheistic
nature of God.
6. The
Bible says that God is ONE!
This argument,
which attempts to disprove the triune nature of God based
on unity, is based largely on two verses:
·
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the
LORD is one. – Deuteronomy 6:4
·
"The most important one," answered Jesus,
"is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is
one’.” – Mark 12:29
Deuteronomy
6:4 in the New World Translation says, “Listen,
O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah.”
We’ve gone into detail in other articles about the fact
that “Jehovah” is not a word that appears in the Bible,
but is rather a modification of Yahweh. One way to
read the last phrase with some of the Hebrew intact is
“Yahweh (Jehovah) our elohim is one Yahweh (Jehovah). The
Hebrew words themselves are “Yahweh elohim echad Yahweh.”
The NIV footnote for this verse lists a few possible ways
to translate this verse based on its grammatical
construct. Echad means “one” or “only”. Because
of the construct, this verse could be translated as it is
above, or as “The LORD our God is one LORD,” “The
LORD is our God, the LORD is one,” or “The LORD is our
God, the LORD alone.” I think the best of these
translations can be assessed by observing the context of
the passage. In Deuteronomy 5, Moses had just presented
the Israelites with the Ten Commandments. One sin that
marked these people was their habit of turning to idolatry
(golden calf ring a bell?). As we read down in chapter 6,
we see that this is still the focus and concern at this
point. In verses 14-16 we read, “Do not follow other
gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the LORD
your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger
will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the
face of the land. Do not test the LORD your God as you did
at Massah.” This is a very clear exhortation for the
Israelites to abandon their worship of multiple “gods.”
Therefore, the most reasonable way of interpreting
Deuteronomy 6:4 is “The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.”
This establishes that only Yahweh is the true God. All
other “gods” are false and must be rejected. Deuteronomy
6:4 does not exclude God from being triune in nature.
Mark 12:29 is simply a recitation of Deuteronomy 6:4 with
the intent of that verse intact – we have one and ONLY one
God!
Yahweh is
our elohim, Yahweh alone. In my
previous article on the Trinity, I established
Scripturally that not only is the Father Yahweh, but Jesus
is also Yahweh. Similarly, the deity of the Holy Spirit
reveals He is also Yahweh. In this article and the
previous one, I have addressed some of the most common
objections to the doctrine of the Trinity. The teaching
of the Word of God is clear. There is one God. God
exists in three co-equal and co-eternal persons: Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Each of these three are rightfully
called God, yet each is distinct from the other. The
absence of one convenient summary of this truth in
Scripture does not negate its truthfulness, nor does it
mean this truth is not found in Scripture. God has
revealed this wonderful truth to us through His Word. The
question is, are we listening?
NOTES:
1. Reasoning from the Scriptures (Brooklyn:
Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, 1989), p. 148.
2. Joseph Smith, Jr.,
The King Follett Discourse (Salt Lake City: Joseph
Lyon & Associates, 1963), p. 9.
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