The Necessity of The Trinity
The Necessity of The Trinity
The cornerstone of Biblical doctrine and Christianity is the doctrine of God. Who is God? What is His nature? How does He manifest Himself to us, and how does He work? While this writer shall make no attempt to answer all of these questions, it is imperative that we learn the fundamental truth of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity is not arrived at by philosophical searching; it is a doctrine that is known only by revelation. While the eternal power and deity of God is manifest in creation, the Trinity is only shown to us in the revealed Word of God, the Scriptures.
One thing that is necessary to state is the fact that the Trinity does not teach that there are three gods. On the contrary, the term Trinity speaks of three in unity, or tri-unity. When we speak of the Trinity, we mean three in one. The Scriptures bear witness of this fact saying, 1 John 5:7 there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. (KJV) When the Scriptures tell us that the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one they are telling us that they exist as one. The very being of God is one. The three who are in God exist as one. There is only one existence in God, but three persons. God’s Word attests to the fact of the solitary existence of God in a plurality of persons. 1 Cor 8:6 To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him. (KJV) Paul is telling us that there is only one God, as opposed to the belief in many gods that idolaters hold. He states that there is only one God, and names two of the persons who are God: the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. While he names two persons, he calls the two persons the one God!
As we consider this subject, the question should be asked, “why speak of the necessity of the Trinity?” Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines necessity thusly: “That which must be and cannot be otherwise.” When we speak of the Trinity being necessary we mean that God’s nature is such that He must be a plurality of persons who are of one essence. The Bible reveals to us that this God is a Tri-unity of persons, hence the Trinity.
The Glory of God Makes The Trinity Necessary
God is eternally glorious. God’s glory is His nature and character. He shines forth in splendor, beauty, and might. This glorious nature of God makes the Trinity a necessity.
The first attribute of God’s glory we shall consider is the name of God. When we speak of God’s name, we speak of the reputation and fame of God as well as the appellation by which He is called. God told Moses that His name was an eternal name/fame. Ex 3:13-15 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (KJV) If God’s fame and glory are eternal there must have been a plurality of persons present to see and enjoy this fame. True fame does not rest in one’s mind alone. The fame and glory of God were expressed and enjoyed in eternity before even the angels were created. God enjoyed His glory as He beheld His Son (See Prov 8:30;John 17:5,24).
God’s glory is seen in His mercy and truth. Ps 115:1 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake. (KJV) God is eternally merciful and true. He has always been this way. These are personal attributes. In other words, mercy and truth are shared with other persons. For God to be eternally merciful and true means that there have always been other persons to whom He expressed mercy and truth. (Note: Mercy here does not primarily speak of God’s compassion on those who face hardship and judgment, it is the loving-kindness of God which He expresses to other persons and has expressed forever to the other persons of the Godhead.) From this we see that God is a plurality of persons.
Love Makes The Trinity Necessary
The Bible tells us that God is love (See 1 Jn 4:8). The love of God is such that, should God cease to love at all He would no longer be God. God does not only love, but is love. When we consider the fact that God is eternal (Ps 90:1,2;Rom 1:20), God has always been love and has always loved. For God to have always loved, there must be one who was there to be loved before the world was made. That one who was present and loved before the world was created must also be eternal. That being so, this one must would be equal to God. That would mean there would be more than one in the essence of God.
As we read the Bible we find that this one who is loved is none other than the Son of God, who is also called the Word. John 1:1-3,14 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (KJV) The reader will recall that the Word is spoken of as being one with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Now we find that the Word was present in the creation, and is God. How is this so? Perhaps it would be well to try to describe it in this manner: As person looks at life they will find themselves thinking about particular moments in life. As these moments are contemplated, one finds that many emotions come to them as though they are reliving the moment. Should one be able to have a perfect thought of every moment of his life, that thought would then become a complete replica of that person. When God is considered as contemplating His eternal greatness and having a perfect thought of Himself, that thought is spoken of as the Word (logos), because it would be both a perfect representation of His thought and (words being expressions of thoughts) would be an eternal person equal to the Father and of the same essence. We know that Jesus is the Word of God who is the expression of the nature, heart, character and will of God in eternity and in this world (See John 1:1-4;Heb 1:1-3). The Word is also the Son of God, because God is spoken of as the Father of whom are all things. He would also be the Son because He is of the same nature as the Father. He is not created, but is eternally generated and eternally co-equal with the Father. He has no beginning nor end, because God has always had the perfect thought of Himself.
Jesus spoke of this great love that existed between Him and the Father. John 17:24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (KJV) In fact, this love between the Father and the Son is so intense that that love in itself is another person. That person is the Holy Spirit. Have you ever been around a group of people where, although there are many individual persons, there is a group spirit? We call it esprit de corps. The spirit of the body. It seems the group of people has a personality in itself. So it is in the Godhead. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father. This eternal love is so great that it has a personality and is a person. Jesus’ own words bear witness to this fact. John 17:26 I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (KJV) Note that Jesus spoke of the love of the Father and Himself dwelling in us. Who is it that dwells in us? Paul says it is Christ (Col 1:27) We find also that Rom 5:5 the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (KJV) The Spirit of God dwells within us spreading God’s love in our hearts. In fact, Rom 8:9 if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
(KJV) I think it is evident that the love which exists in the Godhead is the one we call the third person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit.
This, I believe, is the Biblical doctrine of the Holy Trinity. This doctrine is a revealed doctrine. We do not by searching find God out. This is not seen in Creation, nor inherently understood. It is not understood at all. We simply embrace this truth, because God has revealed it to us. This truth demonstrates to us that our God is truly transcendent. Let us, therefore, worship Him in all His Tri-une glory. Isa 6:3 Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (KJV)
October 24th, 2007 at 9:29 pm
[...] Posted by pastoralmusings under Fundamentals , doctrinal issues , doctrine , theology The Necessity of The Trinity [...]
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December 5th, 2007 at 4:25 am
Wonderful thoughts on the Trinity! The concept of eternal divine love existing among the persons of the Tri-une God is powerful, indeed! The beauty of the distinctions and unity within the Godhead, as revealed in Scripture, are truly awe-inspiring. Finite man cannot fully comprehend the majesty and nature of God. Pastor John Piper has preached some wonderful sermons on the beauty of the Trinity and of the wondrous nature of our God. Thanks for such a well put description of God!
Blessings,
Christfollower
http://christfollower.wordpress.com
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December 4th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Wonderful thoughts on the Trinity! The concept of eternal divine love existing among the persons of the Tri-une God is powerful, indeed! The beauty of the distinctions and unity within the Godhead, as revealed in Scripture, are truly awe-inspiring. Finite man cannot fully comprehend the majesty and nature of God. Pastor John Piper has preached some wonderful sermons on the beauty of the Trinity and of the wondrous nature of our God. Thanks for such a well put description of God!
Blessings,
Christfollower
http://christfollower.wordpress.com
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December 5th, 2007 at 4:37 am
Christfollower,
Thanks for dropping in.
I am indebted to Pastor Piper for helping me come to my conclusions concerning the Trinity.
Thanks for your comment.
May God bless us both on our journey toward giving glory to His matchless NAME.
Jason
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December 4th, 2007 at 10:37 pm
Christfollower,
Thanks for dropping in.
I am indebted to Pastor Piper for helping me come to my conclusions concerning the Trinity.
Thanks for your comment.
May God bless us both on our journey toward giving glory to His matchless NAME.
Jason
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December 5th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Thank God for your faithful explanation on the trinity. May God use you mightily for his glory.
In-Christ,
Clement
http://www.bereanchristian.wordpress.com
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December 5th, 2007 at 1:24 am
Thank God for your faithful explanation on the trinity. May God use you mightily for his glory.
In-Christ,
Clement
http://www.bereanchristian.wordpress.com
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December 5th, 2007 at 3:03 pm
jinwentai,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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December 5th, 2007 at 9:03 am
jinwentai,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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December 16th, 2007 at 4:32 am
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
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December 15th, 2007 at 10:32 pm
very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce
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December 16th, 2007 at 5:03 am
Idetrorce,
Thanks for stopping in.
Unfortunately, it is not only I with whom you disagree, but with Holy Scripture as well.
I plead with you to reconsider your position.
In Christ Alone,
Jason
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December 15th, 2007 at 11:03 pm
Idetrorce,
Thanks for stopping in.
Unfortunately, it is not only I with whom you disagree, but with Holy Scripture as well.
I plead with you to reconsider your position.
In Christ Alone,
Jason
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December 30th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
Sorry. But i do not agree.
No where is it in the Scriptures that this false doctrine is an essential to Salvation nor is it pertinant to ones entering Heaven based on a contrivance of man to explain God.
The Nicene Council and the RC church are the ones that ‘made it an essental’, and they also stated that unless you believe in this false doctrine you are not saved. This alone contradicts Scrirptures.
But i am open for discussion…..
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December 30th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Sorry. But i do not agree.
No where is it in the Scriptures that this false doctrine is an essential to Salvation nor is it pertinant to ones entering Heaven based on a contrivance of man to explain God.
The Nicene Council and the RC church are the ones that ‘made it an essental’, and they also stated that unless you believe in this false doctrine you are not saved. This alone contradicts Scrirptures.
But i am open for discussion…..
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December 31st, 2008 at 2:04 am
RB,
Thanks for stopping by.
Would you mind proving your allegations?
Here’s my proof:
1 John 2:23 (King James Version)
23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
To acknowledge the Son and the Father is to acknowledge the essential plurality of the persons of the Godhead. To deny either the Father or the Son is to deny the essential plurality of the persons of the Godhead. To deny the plurality of persons of the Godhead is to do without the Father and the Son, which is to be without salvation.
RB, please do not neglect such an important doctrine.
The Pastor
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December 30th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
RB,
Thanks for stopping by.
Would you mind proving your allegations?
Here’s my proof:
1 John 2:23 (King James Version)
23Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.
To acknowledge the Son and the Father is to acknowledge the essential plurality of the persons of the Godhead. To deny either the Father or the Son is to deny the essential plurality of the persons of the Godhead. To deny the plurality of persons of the Godhead is to do without the Father and the Son, which is to be without salvation.
RB, please do not neglect such an important doctrine.
The Pastor
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December 31st, 2008 at 5:13 pm
Well, i could discuss with you what you already know, but before i do would you answer this:
Where in the Scriptures doesit state that i need to believe in the trinity to be saved or where it states that it is an essential or a must for ones Salvation?
As to you verse you gave, i do not read anywhere here where anyone has denied the Son. to whom are you talking to?
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December 31st, 2008 at 10:13 am
Well, i could discuss with you what you already know, but before i do would you answer this:
Where in the Scriptures doesit state that i need to believe in the trinity to be saved or where it states that it is an essential or a must for ones Salvation?
As to you verse you gave, i do not read anywhere here where anyone has denied the Son. to whom are you talking to?
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December 31st, 2008 at 5:24 pm
RB,
Go back, reread my reply, and then come back with your response.
My statement was that one must believe in the plurality of persons in the Godhead and to reject that is to be without the Father and without the Son. That is easily found in the passage quoted.
To deny the reality that the Son is a different person (though the same God) as the Father is to deny the Son.
Notice Paul’s statement:
“if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
You have two persons in this verse. Two persons active in our salvation. The Lord Jesus who died for our sins, and God the Father who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. This is an inescapable reality, RB.
Please do not resist the truth, but sincerely examine this doctrine. There are two posts on the Trinity on this blog. Please read both of them. They are Biblical and give proof of the Trinity. The Truth will bless you if you let it.
Sincerely,
Jason (The Pastor)
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December 31st, 2008 at 10:24 am
RB,
Go back, reread my reply, and then come back with your response.
My statement was that one must believe in the plurality of persons in the Godhead and to reject that is to be without the Father and without the Son. That is easily found in the passage quoted.
To deny the reality that the Son is a different person (though the same God) as the Father is to deny the Son.
Notice Paul’s statement:
“if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
You have two persons in this verse. Two persons active in our salvation. The Lord Jesus who died for our sins, and God the Father who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. This is an inescapable reality, RB.
Please do not resist the truth, but sincerely examine this doctrine. There are two posts on the Trinity on this blog. Please read both of them. They are Biblical and give proof of the Trinity. The Truth will bless you if you let it.
Sincerely,
Jason (The Pastor)
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December 31st, 2008 at 9:00 pm
Again,
Show me a passage that clearly states that Jesus ‘IS’ the Father.
And not something that can be misrepresented.
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December 31st, 2008 at 2:00 pm
Again,
Show me a passage that clearly states that Jesus ‘IS’ the Father.
And not something that can be misrepresented.
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January 1st, 2009 at 1:21 am
Jason,
I have read them both as well as some others.
The gleaning i receive from these is that unless man confess’ a doctrine that man states is a revelation from God that man cannot be saved, which is a contradiction of Scriptures.
Yet no where will we find that God himself claims that Jesus is anything other than His Beloved Son. God never defines Christ as being God, nor does God tell us that Jesus is the Father either, nor does God relate to us that Jesus is the HS. These things are the contrivance of man to convince man that man is correct. Grossly mis-using the Scriptures to bring God down to mans understanding of what we mis-preceive God to be.
Needless to say that you still have not answered my question, only leading me to believe that you have been captured into what the Scriptures do not teach but what man teaches them to be to satisfy mans place in the incorrect understanding of Salvation. Namely that man needs to confess to man what man wants to say is scriptural when it is not: that man must confess a trinity to be saved – NOT Scriptural.
You want to claim that Jesus is God, but then you will also claim that He is the Son of God – only one is correct and that is the one that the Scriptures clearly teach – That Jesus is the Son of God, born thru Mary.
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December 31st, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Jason,
I have read them both as well as some others.
The gleaning i receive from these is that unless man confess’ a doctrine that man states is a revelation from God that man cannot be saved, which is a contradiction of Scriptures.
Yet no where will we find that God himself claims that Jesus is anything other than His Beloved Son. God never defines Christ as being God, nor does God tell us that Jesus is the Father either, nor does God relate to us that Jesus is the HS. These things are the contrivance of man to convince man that man is correct. Grossly mis-using the Scriptures to bring God down to mans understanding of what we mis-preceive God to be.
Needless to say that you still have not answered my question, only leading me to believe that you have been captured into what the Scriptures do not teach but what man teaches them to be to satisfy mans place in the incorrect understanding of Salvation. Namely that man needs to confess to man what man wants to say is scriptural when it is not: that man must confess a trinity to be saved – NOT Scriptural.
You want to claim that Jesus is God, but then you will also claim that He is the Son of God – only one is correct and that is the one that the Scriptures clearly teach – That Jesus is the Son of God, born thru Mary.
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January 1st, 2009 at 3:41 am
RB,
First of all, I must ask that you be courteous. If you feel that you have the truth, the least you can do is speak it in love. So far you have not done so. You have only sought to condemn and criticize instead of carrying on a civil discussion. I kindly request that you tone down the rhetoric.
I shall not answer all of your response simply because you are misrepresenting me, and I think that you know that.
Here is the answer to your question about Jesus being God and the Son of God.
John 5:17-18 (King James Version)
17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
For Jesus to be the Son of God is to be equal to God. That is simple enough to understand. I could multiply the verses, and shall do so in a separate blog post if you still have an issue with this.
RB, to deny that Jesus is the God/man is to deny Christianity.
Please do not do that. It is deadly for the soul.
In Christ alone.
Jason
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December 31st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
RB,
First of all, I must ask that you be courteous. If you feel that you have the truth, the least you can do is speak it in love. So far you have not done so. You have only sought to condemn and criticize instead of carrying on a civil discussion. I kindly request that you tone down the rhetoric.
I shall not answer all of your response simply because you are misrepresenting me, and I think that you know that.
Here is the answer to your question about Jesus being God and the Son of God.
John 5:17-18 (King James Version)
17But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
18Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
For Jesus to be the Son of God is to be equal to God. That is simple enough to understand. I could multiply the verses, and shall do so in a separate blog post if you still have an issue with this.
RB, to deny that Jesus is the God/man is to deny Christianity.
Please do not do that. It is deadly for the soul.
In Christ alone.
Jason
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January 1st, 2009 at 4:22 am
RB AKA Robert,
If you are indeed Robert Booth, your track record at Theologica leads me to believe that you will not contribute much civil discussion here.
I trust you shall take my words seriously. Not only my call for civil discourse, but concerning the Word of God.
Jason
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December 31st, 2008 at 9:22 pm
RB AKA Robert,
If you are indeed Robert Booth, your track record at Theologica leads me to believe that you will not contribute much civil discussion here.
I trust you shall take my words seriously. Not only my call for civil discourse, but concerning the Word of God.
Jason
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January 1st, 2009 at 6:00 am
Oh, quite contrar.
You claim a doctrine that contradicts Scriptures and then claim i am not irenic. You claim i am not saved by your standards os salvation that are rooted in deciet and lies.
Your verse(s) state what the jews thought and not what Christ actually stated. Christ never stated that he was equal with God, if you truly understood what was being said, you would understand that it is a narative of what the jews were thinking – not anything that Christ said. See you mis-used the Scriptures to claim your own passions of what is false to meet what you want to be truth when in actuallity it is not.
No where in the Scriptures does it teach that for Jesus to be the Son of God that he is equal with God nor needs to be for that matter – but you can prove me wrong by posting where it is stated in the Scriptures that you are correct.
I do not deny Christ at all, but you are the one who is mis-representing the Son of God. Again you claim the Jesus is God and the Son of God in the same breath, but agan you allude to answer my question, don’t you.
If and should the Scriptures teach as you say that a belief in the trinity is an essential and a must for Salvation, going so far as to say that it is a must – then prove your statement and show the verse passage chapter that you are correct.
You quoted anothers writings, maybe you can find someone who can show this as a truth in their writings, but until then the only way to God is through Christ and not mans way of thinking.
The trinity thinking teaches that Jesus is God, God taught us through the Scriptures and His witness’s that Jesus is His Son, as a matter of fact at the very Baptism of the Son, John gave witness that the Father spoke and clearly stated that Jesus Is his Son. This same Father also told and revealed the same to Peter and Christ himself gave clarity that it was from God His Father, but you can refute this if you care to, i would love to read your reply, especially if it should deny the very Words of God Himself beit by the Baptism and His revelation to Peter being validated by His Son, and the testimony of those present.
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December 31st, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Oh, quite contrar.
You claim a doctrine that contradicts Scriptures and then claim i am not irenic. You claim i am not saved by your standards os salvation that are rooted in deciet and lies.
Your verse(s) state what the jews thought and not what Christ actually stated. Christ never stated that he was equal with God, if you truly understood what was being said, you would understand that it is a narative of what the jews were thinking – not anything that Christ said. See you mis-used the Scriptures to claim your own passions of what is false to meet what you want to be truth when in actuallity it is not.
No where in the Scriptures does it teach that for Jesus to be the Son of God that he is equal with God nor needs to be for that matter – but you can prove me wrong by posting where it is stated in the Scriptures that you are correct.
I do not deny Christ at all, but you are the one who is mis-representing the Son of God. Again you claim the Jesus is God and the Son of God in the same breath, but agan you allude to answer my question, don’t you.
If and should the Scriptures teach as you say that a belief in the trinity is an essential and a must for Salvation, going so far as to say that it is a must – then prove your statement and show the verse passage chapter that you are correct.
You quoted anothers writings, maybe you can find someone who can show this as a truth in their writings, but until then the only way to God is through Christ and not mans way of thinking.
The trinity thinking teaches that Jesus is God, God taught us through the Scriptures and His witness’s that Jesus is His Son, as a matter of fact at the very Baptism of the Son, John gave witness that the Father spoke and clearly stated that Jesus Is his Son. This same Father also told and revealed the same to Peter and Christ himself gave clarity that it was from God His Father, but you can refute this if you care to, i would love to read your reply, especially if it should deny the very Words of God Himself beit by the Baptism and His revelation to Peter being validated by His Son, and the testimony of those present.
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January 1st, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Robert,
You ignore the evidence, twist my words, assert that I have said and done things that I have not.
I am sorry that you have to be such an vitriolic person. I shall address the full deity of Christ sometime in the future.
At this time, since you have disregarded my pleas for you to be civil, you and I shall not discuss this post.
Sincerely,
Jason
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January 1st, 2009 at 8:37 am
Robert,
You ignore the evidence, twist my words, assert that I have said and done things that I have not.
I am sorry that you have to be such an vitriolic person. I shall address the full deity of Christ sometime in the future.
At this time, since you have disregarded my pleas for you to be civil, you and I shall not discuss this post.
Sincerely,
Jason
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January 6th, 2009 at 7:17 am
[...] Confused in Thinking That He Did? Posted on January 6, 2009 by pastoralmusings A Reply to RB Concerning His Assertion That The Jews Misunderstood Jesus to Say That He Was Equal to God The [...]
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