Melissa McDowall asks: Hi guys. I go to an Apostolic Church. Our church holds that the Trinity is a pagan teaching and that Jesus is the Son of God, but not God Almighty. I thought that the Jehovah Witnesses held that view. Can you please explain the Trinity?

Hi Melissa,

Thanks for your question. There are many religions out there that teach that the Trinity came from pagan sources. However, although the word Trinity is not found in scripture, the understanding of what we call the Trinity definitely is.

First off, the Bible teaches that there is only one God. (Isaiah 43:10 - You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me).

Secondly, the Bible teaches that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are God. Paul makes it clear that "there is but one God, the Father" (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Father, when speaking of the Son, says, "Your throne, O God will last forever and ever" (Hebrews 1:8). Also, Peter pointed out that when Ananias "lied to the Holy Spirit," he had "not lied to men but to God" (Acts 5:3-4).

Thirdly, the Bible also teaches that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are three eternally distinct beings. This is easily seen, as the Father and Son love one another and speak to one another (John 17:1-26, 1 Peter 3:22, Luke 23:46). The Father and the Son both send the Holy Spirit (John 15:26). The Holy Spirit decides for himself, what gifts he will give to a person (1 Corinthians 12:11). Jesus himself proclaims that He and the Father are two distinct witnesses and two distinct Judges (John 8:14-18).

Lastly, the difficulty in understanding that there are three distinct beings that equal the one true God, seems to come from people not understanding the fact that they are one in regards to essence rather than physically. This is made clear in 1 John 5:7-8 "For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree" The best example that can be given for this is the context of a church. Where all the different members equal the one true church, in the same fashion that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit equal the one true God. (John 17:20-21).

Another example can be seen in Ephesians 5:31 - "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh". We are sure that when a man and woman get married, they do not both reside in one physical body, but rather, they are in one accord, they are one in essence. Hope this helps to clear things up. Peace be with you!

"Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" - John 8:58 -

Comments:

Joanna Clark: So you guys are saying that Jesus is Almighty God, but if you look at some of the oldest manuscripts (Codex Vaticanus) the words "Almighty God" is not found in correlations to Jesus. Look at Isaiah 9:6 for example. So Jesus is the son of God, but not Almighty God.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: Hi Joanna. God bless, the oldest manuscripts we have is not the Codex Vaticanus which has been in the Vatican Library since the 1400's. The Dead Sea Scrolls are older. If you look up the verse there (Isaiah 9:6), you will definitely find that the text reads "Almighty God". Therefore, the Bible translators were very responsible and did a great job in adding those very words to the biblical translations we hold to as authority.

Bob Hopewell: Joanna, the oldest manuscript we have is the Septuagint 300 B.C. and it also doesn't say Almighty God.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: Hi Bob. As of now, the Q1 scroll of Isaiah is known to be as old or older than the Septuagint dating to 352-100 B.C. and the text is backed up by the various manuscripts also found in Qumran. Also, the Septuagint has been in question as to its reliability. According to the Britannica encyclopedia "Despite the tradition that it was perfectly translated, there are large differences in style and usage between the Septuagint’s translation of the Torah and its translations of the later books in the Old Testament". While the translators of the Septuagint might have overlooked or omitted a word here and there, there are many other scrolls that justify that inclusion of the words "Almighty God" in Isaiah 9:6. We also hold to the dead sea scrolls which have yet to be in question by scholars. (britannica.com/topic/Septuagint).

Bob Hopewell: So you guys don't agree that we should be looking at pre-Nicene counsel writings? You don't agree that the Nicene Counsel changed the old testament?

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: No. We need to remember that by the 1900's the Bible was already widely available, and it was the discovery of the dead sea scrolls that proved that the Old Testament was not changed by the Nicene Counsel, as the current Bible we hold in our hands today perfectly matched the writings found on the dead sea scrolls. The discovery of dead sea scrolls was a huge blow to Athiests and other religions that arose to claim that the Bible has been manipulate and could not be trusted.

James Stuart: Well in the church I go to, I was taught that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three different manifestations of one God.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless and thanks for the comment. Just out of curiosity, what religion or denomination are you a part of? Other things to consider are found when Jesus was getting crucified on the cross. He had a conversation with his Father, where Jesus cried out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46). Or before Jesus died, He said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Luke 23:46). Or in Mark 16:19, where we are told that after Jesus was taken up into heaven, "he sat at the right hand of God". Would you say that Jesus was speaking to himself? Or that he sat down next to himself?

James Stuart: Well no, I think you guys are right. I go to a Unitarian Pentecostal Church. But been wanting to look elsewhere due to having different interpretations than what I learned as a child. If I were to leave my church do you guys have any recommendations?

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: Well, we cannot recommend a church, but we can suggest that you look for a well-balanced church that teaches proper essentials. In our view, secondary issues shouldn't cause division. Those are topics that can be debated in a friendly manner, but are not issues that undermine the essentials of our faith. However, primary issues (those that undermine the essentials of our faith) should cause separation. Teaching that Jesus is not God Almighty, that Jesus was only a prophet, or that Jesus is a manifestation of the Father, are all the same things that Jehovah Witnesses and other cults claim. They are simply not teaching the Jesus of the Bible. We at BRC, hold that these are primary issues that should very well cause division.

Melissa McDowall: Thanks guys, loved the debate here in Northern Virginia.

James Stuart: Well thanks and God bless you guys.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: Thanks and God bless you Melissa.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless you and peace be with you James.

John DeWitt: The Septuagint is in question to it's reliability, but doesn't mean that it is wrong. It might have accidentally over looked or accidentally omitted a word here and there. However, the dead sea scrolls, and a majority of other scrolls state "Almighty God" in Isaiah 9:6, it would be a failure to remove it based on using the Septuagint alone. Even if two or three other versions have that as an omission. We need to hold to the majority of old and accepted manuscripts.

BRC Hosts Joey and Chris: God bless you John. Well said. That is exactly what we tried to point out. Whether a word was overlooked or omitted, doesn't disqualify the Septuagint. But it is our job to allow other scrolls of the same time frame that are regarded as authentic to correct the errors or omissions on other texts to make them more accurate.

1 John 5:7-8

"For there are three that testify: the Spirit and the water and the blood; and these three agree"